Under Eastern Skies 



THE RECORD 

OF A 

Pleasant Journey Through 
Bible Lands, 



By rev. e. herbruck. Ph. d. 



DAYTON, OHIO: 
PRESS REFORMED PUBLISHING CO,. 

1889. 



COPYEIGHT BY E. HEEBRUCK, 1889. 



• 



PREFACE. 



A friend on hearing of my intention of writing 
this volume wrote me, "Write a volume so that it 
will make it difficult for the next traveler to write 
one." By which he meant to intimate that there 
were already enough books on Egypt and the Holy 
Land, and that he was sorry I was about to add 
another. It is true there are very few countries 
about which so much is written as the above, and yet 
whatsis written always finds interested readers, and 
why not? I do not claim to present anything in a 
new light in these pages, but simply give the record 
of a pleasant journey through the lands of the Bible. 
I have endeavored to give a faithful description of 
things as I saw them. I have not allowed my 
imagination to portray things different from what 
they are, and the reader will find many allusions to 
old Scripture customs which will confirm his faith in 
the truthfulness of the Word. The reader will 
please to remember that this is not a commentary on 
the Scriptures, nor is it a critical work on the lands 
visited. There are others who have gone to the 
lands spoken of who have remained for months, 
carefully studying the ruins, and the customs of the 



iv. 



PREFACE. 



people. Among whom we mention Robinson, Thom- 
son, Geikie and others. To these we refer the reader 
who desires critical and more comprehensive notes 
on Bible lands. 

These pages are made up from notes taken during 
the journey, and from letters written, many of them 
in camp, and at the various stopping places. If in 
this form they will do any good, I shall feel repaid 
for the labor of writing them. 

E. Herbruck. 

Dayton, Ohio, 1889. 



Table of Contents. 



Chapter 1. Venice, the Bride of the Sea 7 

2. Flight Southward 17 

3. Alexandria 24 

4. Cairo 34 

" 5. Cairo, (Continued) 48 

0. Some of the Wonders of Egypt 60 

7. Suez and the Wells of Moses 78 

8. Jaffa and Neighborhood 92 

9. Beginning of Tent Life 104 

10. Hebron 121 

11. Bethlehem * 132 

" 12. Journey to the Dead Sea 14S 

13. The Jordan 1G3 

" 14. Jerusalem '. .... 179 

" 15. Jerusalem 193 

" 16. Jerusalem 206 

" 17. Northward from Jerusalem 224 

" 18. Nablus fc 238 

19. Plain of Esdraelon 251 

" 20. Nazareth 262 

21. Towards the Sea of Galilee 274 

22. Sea of Galilee 283 

" 23. Northward Along the Sea 293 

" 24. From Galilee to Hermon 306 

" 25. Crossing the Lebanon Mountains 321 

" 26. Damascus 330 

27. Baalbeck 344 

" 28. Northward 365 

" 29. Flight Northward Continued 373 



All that history which at a distance seems to float in the 
clouds of an unreal world, here (in Palestine) takes a form and 
a solidity which astonishes me. The striking accord of texts 
and places, the marvellous harmony of the ideal gospel with 
the country which serves as its setting, were to me like a 
revelation. — Ernest Renan. 



CHAPTER I. 
VENICE. 



IKE BRIDE OF THE SEA. 

••I stood in Venice on the Bridge of Sighs. 

A palace and a prison on each hand : 

I saw from out the waves her structures rise. 

As from the stroke of the enchanter's wand : 

A thousand years their cloudy wings expand 

Around me. and a dying glory smiles 

O'er the far time, when many a subject land 

Look'd to the wing'd lion's marble piles, 

When Venice sate in state, throned on her hundred isles." 



TRAXGE and almost inexpressible feelings come 



over one as he enters Venice. There is so much 



of the romantic and mysterious connected with 
her history that one hardly knows whether he is 
going into a city of marble and real palaces, or only 
into an enchanted place that may vanish at the word 
of a wizzard. I found it to be a real place, however, 
for when we landed in the depot we were at once sur- 
rounded by a set of clamorous Venetians, crying 
Gondola! Gondola! each one having not only the 
best, but also the cheapest. I must confess I felt 
somewhat awkward on stepping into one of these 
boats instead of a carriage, but as they are the only 




8 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



vehicles they have, and as you cannot walk, you 
make the best of the situation, and conclude to sail 
to your hotel in the boat. If a man were eight feet 
tall he might shoulder his trunk and wade, but as 
the water is not very clean he would find it an 
unpleasant experiment. 

To a foreigner it seems very strange to see instead 
of streets paved with stone, only waterways, the steps 
of the houses coming down to the water's edge, and 
he wonders how the people get about, and yet every- 
thing is full of life. The people come and go just 
as in our American cities. There are some narrow 
streets on which one can walk, and before the 
Cathedral of St. Mark's there is a large square 
which is continually crowded with a motley horde 
of idlers. The city however, has a deserted appear- 
ance; it is silent, you listen in vain for the rattle 
of car or the clatter of horses hoofs on the hard 
street. Its churches and palaces seem to be of such 
stuff as dreams are made of, and people come and 
go as noiselessly as birds in the air. A strange and 
wondrous charm hangs over everything. It is true 
much of her glory has departed and yet you find 
it impossible to dethrone her of the great past. 
This charm and mystery will hang over the city so 
long as Venice is Venice. 

Venice is situated in the extreme northern part of 
the Adriatic, and because of her position at the 
head of the sea, as well as her beauty, has been 
called the Queen of the Adriatic. It is built on a 
number of islands, some say eighty, others one 
hundred and seventeen. However many islands 
there may be, they are separated by one hundred 
and fifty canals, which are crossed by nearly four- 



HOME OF DESDEMOXA. 



9 



hundred bridges. The city is approached by a via- 
duct over two miles long, connecting it with the 
mainland at Mestre. The Grand Canal divides the 
city into two parts, and as you go down the entire 
length, on either side you see the marble palaces 
where the nobles dwelt in the days when Venice was 
in her glory. Some of the palaces are still inhabited 
by men of wealth who make the citj 7 their home, 
others are the abodes of miserable wretches whose 
poverty is in strange contrast with the surroundings. 
Some have been converted into stores and hotels, 
while others are closed and fast going to decay, and 
in their fall will hide the sin and shame that once 
was enthroned there. The reputed home of Desde- 
raona was next door to our hotel. How often I 
looked up to the latticed windows as though to catch 
a glimpse of a beautiful face behind them, but was 
disappointed. The house seemed so quiet that I 
came to the conclusion it was not inhabited. What 
tales some of these palaces could tell had they 
tongues. I could not help but think as I looked upon 
them of the times when they were full of life, when 
gay men and women made merry in their gilded halls, 
and converted the night into day by their hilarity 
and mirth. I could not help but think also of the 
misery and sin which dwelt behind those marble 
walls, and of the dread that must have been in the 
hearts of the- inmates that on the morrow they might 
be summoned before the Council of Ten, for crimes 
of which they knew nothing, and go from the gloomy 
prisons to the death block. It is impossible to keep 
back such thoughts as one goes up and down these 
watery highways and looks upon the marble, stained 
by the finger of time. Whoever wishes to see even 



10 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



a vestige of the former glory of Venice, had better 
go soon, for she is fast decaying, and in a few years 
the places of historic interest will be nothing but a 
heap of ruins, or will be so altered as to show but 
little of their ancient glory. After Byron had been 
there he wrote : 

" Those days are gone— but beauty still is here — 
States fall, arts fade— but Nature does not die ; 
Nor yet forget bow Venice once was dear, 
The pleasant place of all festivity, 
Tbe revel of the earth, the mosque of Italy. 



I loved her from my boyhood— she to me 

Was as a fairy city of the heart, 

Rising like water columns from the sea, 

Of joy the sojourn, and of we*alth the mart : " 

John Kuskin who has written so much about Ven- 
ice says : "A city of marble, did I say? Nay, rather 
a golden city, paved with emerald. For, truly, every 
pinnacle and turret glanced and glowed, overlaid 
with gold, or based with jasper. Beneath, the unsul- 
lied sea drew in deep breathing, to and fro, its eddies 
of green wave. . . . Well might it seem 
that such a city had owed its existence rather to the 
rod of the enchanter than the fear of the fugitive ; 
that the waters which encircled her had been chosen 
for the mirror of her slate, rather than, the shelter of 
her nakedness ; and that all which in Nature is wild 
or merciless — Time and Decay, as well as the waves 
and tempests — had been won to adorn her instead of 
to destroy, and might still spare, for ages to come, 
that beauty which seemed to have fixed for its throne 
the sands of the hour-glass as well as of the sea." 

Venice was at one time one of the most important 
commercial centers of Europe. The government was 



ST. MARK'S CATHEDRAL. 



11 



at first vested in the hands of a doge, who was elected 
for life and had almost absolute power. In 1098 
Venice sent a large fleet to Jerusalem, to engage in 
the first Crusade. She also made various conquests, 
and her fortune rose and fell until in 1866, after a 
short war with the allied forces of Austria and Prus- 
sia, Yenetia was ceded to Napoleon III., and the city, 
by its own vote, was annexed to Italy. 

One of the principal objects of interest is the 
Cathedral of St. Mark's, founded in 828, consecrated 
as a cathedral in 1807, and said to contain over forty- 
five thousand square feet of mosaics. It is claimed 
by the Venetians that St. Mark, the tutelary saint of 
Venice, is buried beneath the high altar. In the 
pavement of the vestibule, you are shown several 
marble slabs where the Emperor Barbarossa obtained 
a reconciliation with Pope Alexander III. In a side 
chapel you are shown various relics, among which is 
the stone on which Christ sat or stood when he deliv- 
ed the sermon on the mount. How it was identified, 
or how it got to this city of the sea, the good monk 
did not explain to us. In front of St. Mark's is the 
large square which has received its name from the 
cathedral. Around the sides were at one time the 
residences of the nobility, the lower portions of which 
are now converted into shops where many tempting 
things are exposed for sale. Here you see also the 
delicate Venetian glass ware for which the city is 
noted. The shop-keepers are anxious to sell and ask 
exorbitant prices. In this square we witnessed the 
feeding of the pigeons. It is said that during the 
thirteenth century, at the siege of Candia, the Vene- 
tian admiral received important communications by 
carrier pigeons, and sent them by the same. Since 



12 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



that time pigeons are sacred birds to the people, and 
daily at two o'clock, they come by hundreds to the 
square where they are fed. 

Near the entrance of the Grand Canal, stands the 
church of the Salutation, built on twelve hundred 
thousand piles. A legend says that once during a 
plague one of the doges vowed that if it were stayed 
he would build a church to the Virgin, and this is 
the result. It contains two celebrated paintings, 
"The Marriage in Canna" by TintorettoVand /'St. 
Mark and Four Saints" by Titian. The Academy of 
Fine Arts on the Grand Canal contains Titian's finest 
production, "The Assumption of the Virgin" as well 
as his "Presentation in the Temple." There is one 
other picture of note here, "Jesus in the House of 
Levi," by Paul Veronese. 

To me the most interesting object was the Palace 
of the Doges, which may well be called, a history 
of centuries written in stone. It was founded in 800, 
was a number of times destroyed, the present build- 
ing having been completed in 1350. The palace is 
entered from the inner court by ascending the Giant's 
Staircase, at the top of which the doges were gener- 
ally crowned. Only seven rooms of this beautiful 
structure are open to the public. But what a glory 
they reveal. One looks upon them and then goes 
away and asks himself whether it was not all a dream. 
There are some fine paintings here, both on the sides 
and ceilings, and are well preserved. The room in 
which the Grand Council held their meetings is 
especially fine. It is one hundred and seventy-five 
feet long, eighty-five feet wide, and fifty-one feet 
high. The frieze of this room contains the portraits 
of no less than seventy-six doges, arranged in chron- 



THE COUNCIL OF TEN 



13 



ological order beginning with year 810. There are 
twenty-one large paintings in this room. The largest 
being at the east end. It is Tintoretto's "Paradise," 
said to be the largest oil painting in the world, eighty- 
four feet long and thirty-four wide. Ruskin says 
this is the most precious thing that Venice possesses. 
The Senate Chamber is also a beautiful room, and 
yet how much that was dark and criminal was enact- 
ed here. There is hardly an inch of this vast build- 
ing that is not stained with the most inhuman deeds. 
In the thirteenth century the Venetians found their 
Great Council of several hundred too large to dis- 
patch business speedily ; so that they might expedite 
matters they elected a Council of Forty, and this in 
turn chose one of ten to be assisted by the doge or 
six members of the nobility. This council has always 
been known as the Council of Ten. This council 
elected what became known as the Council of Three, 
before whom were brought such things as concerned 
the State, as well as criminal accusations against the 
nobility and ecclesiastics. No dignity was a protec- 
- tion against its absolute authority, and no spot was 
sacred enough to prevent its intrusion. Here the 
innocent and guilty were alike exposed to this 
inquisitorial monster who never slumbered, and 
whose presence seemed to be everywhere, and who 
seemed to do his work so that it never came to the 
light of day. Persons disappeared from society and 
were never heard of again, and to make inquiries 
after them was almost sure death. We also visited 
the gloomy prisons underneath the palace which are 
connected with the room where the Three Heads of 
the Council of Ten held their meetings, and from 
which the accused went to the cells below, never- 



THE KING'S BIRTHDAY. 



15 



more to see the light of day. Near the entrance of 
one of these cells yon see the place of private execu- 
tion, and an opening in the wall through which the 
dead bodies were thrown into a boat and carried out 
and cast into the sea. The Bridge of Sighs is a nar 
row covered passage which formerly connected the 
Palace of the Doge with the government prisons. 
Here the wretched criminal saw the last ray of light 
and uttered a sigh as he went to certain death. I 
cannot describe my own feelings as I stood on this 
bridge and thought of the hundreds of innocent men 
and women who crossed this narrow covered way 
never to return. It is indeed a bridge of sighs, for 
the visitor can hardly help but sigh as he steps 
upon it. 

The King's birthda} 7 " was celebrated while we were 
there, and all Venice seemed to be abroad. The 
cannon from in front of St. George's Cathedral 
sounded forth their salutation, and all the city was 
gaily decorated, the soldiers paraded, the bands 
played, the bells rang as though it might have been 
when Venice sat as queen upon her hundred isles. 

And this is Venice ! I had never hoped to see it, 
and yet my eyes have looked upon its fading splen- 
dor. Imperial Venice, the white swan of the Adri- 
atic, the city of crime and chivalry, as well as of 
religion and romance, and cursed of many rulers. A 
city which like magic rose like a sea shell from out 
the waves reposing on her many isles, inhabited now 
no longer by a noble race, but by a horde of idle beg- 
gars who are living upon the glory that was left 
behind by their more noble ancestry. They have lit- 
tle or no idea of the former splendor of their race or 
the ancient renown of their city when the nobles of 



16 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the earth vied with each other for her favor. This 
was the impression made upon my mind as I return- 
ed from an evening walk in the square of St. Mark's. 
I went to sleep hearing the cry of the gondoliers, 
while the bewitching song of a merry party filled the 
night air, recalling the days of old when Venice was 
a fairy world. Our own beloved Longfellow wrote of 
this Bride of the Sea : 

" White swan of cities, slumbering in thy nest, 

So wonderfully built among the reeds 

Of the lagoon that fences thee and feeds, 

As sayeth thy old historian and thy guest ; 

White water-lily, cradled and caressed 

By ocean streams, and from the silt and weeds 

Lifting thy golden filaments and reeds, 

Thy sun-illumined spires, thy crown and crest ! 

White phantom city, whose untrodden streets 

Are "rivers, and whose pavements are the shifting 

Shadows of palaces and strips of sky ; 

I want to see this vanish like the fleets 

Seen in mirage, or tower of clouds uplifting 

In air their unsubstantial masonry." 



CHAPTER II. 



FLIGHT SOUTHWARD. 



ON THE ADRIATIC AND MEDITERRANEAN. 

WE would very much liked to have lingered 
longer in Venice, for we had learned to love 
its old palaces and silent streets, but if we 
tarry here we must shorten our stay somewhere else, 
so we boarded a steamer anchored in the Grand 
Canal, just before the Palace of the Doges, and set out 
on our journey southward to the land of the Nile. 
Our intention was first to go to Trieste, and from 
there take one of the Austrian steamers for the rest 
of the journey, but we had not gone many miles 
when the engines broke down, and we were left 
entirely at the mercy of the waves. The ship being 
almost devoid of sail, there was no possibility of our 
reaching land, or making much headway against the 
tide. That was a terrible night, the like of which I 
do not wish to experience again. It was with great 
difficulty that we could keep in our berths. We were 
tossed and thumped about like pebbles in a tin can. 
At one moment the bow of the boat seemed to run 
up into the air as though it would soar among the 
stars, the next it was down into the waves as though 
it were curious to pry into what was at the bottom of 
the sea. Fortunately our signals of distress were 
noticed by a passing vessel and we were at once 



18 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



taken in tow. We longed for the morning, but it 
came slowly, and when we saw the light breaking in 
the east our hearts were glad. In vain we inquired 
where we were being taken to, no one seemed to 
know, neither did they seem to care. We were 
dragged about until near midday, when the boats 
were lowered and we were transferred to another 
vessel and carried back to Venice. 

We were sick and tired when we reached the city, 
and would gladly have tarried, but we were bound 
for Egypt and must get there. Fortunately an 
English ship was about ready to sail and we took 
advantage of the opportunity and embarked once 
more. In some respects our misfortune was favora- 
ble to us, for we not only had a better ship to sail in, 
but also better fare than is furnished by the Austrian 
steamers. It is often the case that we murmur when 
things do not move on as we would like to have 
them, and yet in many instances we have found that 
what seemed a misfortune has proven a blessing. 
The experience of the previous twenty-four hours 
had a depressing effect on my nervous system and I 
passed a miserable night. But the morning came 
bright and clear and with it a better feeling. It is a 
pleasure to watch the coming of the day from ship- 
board ; the stars begin to pale in the faint light, then 
there is a bar of red on the horizon, and soon the 
broad disk of the sun appears tinging the waters with 
crimson. 

On Saturday morning we reached Ancona, on the 
coast of Italy. It is an ancient town, and amphi- 
theatre-like, is pleasantly situated on a steep hillside. 
It was once an important place and well defended. 
It has a beautiful harbor able to accommodate a large 



TARGET PRACTICE. 



19 



number of ships. It is now one of the principal 
stations of the Italian navy. The fortifications look 
formidable and impregnable, but so destructive have 
become our modern implements of war that even 
such defences would not stand long. Ancona lays 
claim to the distinguished honor of being the birth- 
place of the poet Yirgil. This is doubtful, and yet 
the great poet might have first seen the light of day 
in a meaner place than this. The town contains an 
ancient arch of triumph, erected in honor of the 
Emperor Trajan. It is built of Parian marble, is 
still in a good state of preservation, and much 
admired on account of its graceful proportions. 

While looking at the huge fortress on the top of the 
hill we saw a puff of smoke and shortly after heard the 
report of a cannon. We did not know what it meant 
at first, but soon learned that the garrison was having 
a target practice. Far away on the water there was 
a floating buoy. At this the shot were directed. 
The buoy bobbed up and down on the waves unin- 
jured. A man of war would have been just as safe, 
for the balls passed far beyond the target. We 
steamed out of the harbor about noon and moved 
on down the Adriatic. 

Day by day the skies seemed to get brighter, and 
the waters a darker indigo color. Birds frequently 
visited the ship and perched upon the rigging. We 
were in sight of land a good part of the time and 
could distinctly see the outlines of villages on the 
shore. We passed in sight of the famous sardine 
fisheries, where millions are annually taken, cured, 
canned and then sent to all parts of the world. On 
the top of a hill we saw the spire of a church which 
the captain pointed out to us as that of Loretto. It 



20 



UXDER EASTEEX SKIES. 



is a famous shrine, a sort of Mecca, to which many 
pilgrims go annually, carrying with them precious 
gifts devoted to the Virgin. Here also is the house 
of the Virgin Mary which was transported by miracle 
from the Holy Land. And to confirm the matter you 
are told when you reach Nazareth, that the house of 
the Virgin is not there, but over in Italy. Why it 
should have been transported to Italy we could hard- 
ly imagine. It is an out-of-the-way place. America 
would have been much more appropriate, or even 
England might have been the favored spot. It will 
be a happy day for this world when superstition, and 
the worship of anything else but God will be swept 
from the earth. That day is coming. I have faith in 
God and the power of his word. Already the foun- 
dations of all that is false are shaking, and one of 
these days we will hear a great crash, and a cry will 
go up, " Our God has triumphed." 

On Sunday morning we reached Brindisi. This is 
the Brundisium of the ancient Latins, and is spoken 
of by some of their poets. It is said that Virgil lived 
here for a time, and the house in which he died is 
pointed out to you. Portions of the old wall, and the 
fortifications in the harbor are still to be seen and 
look quite formidable. But the march of improve- 
ment is making havoc with them, and in a few years 
they will have entirely disappeared. On a small 
square in the midst of the town is a large column said 
to mark the termination of the Appian way. Some 
years ago an old Roman galley was fished out of the 
mud and water in the harbor. How long it had lain 
there is not known. But it was undoubtedly a war 
vessel of the old Latins. 

We were allowed to go on shore and see the sights. 



SABBATH AT BBINDISI. 21 

■ 

Though it was the Sabbath there was nothing to dis- 
tinguish it from any other day. Shops were open, 
houses were being built, laborers were at work in the 
vineyards, and everywhere there was noise and con- 
fusion. I never saW so much drunkenness at one 
time or place as on this day in Brindisi. Wine is one 
of the principal articles of export, but from what I 
saw one would suppose there would be little left for 
export. It seemed as though every other house was a 
wine shop, full of boisterous men and women, shout- 
ing, screaming, fighting and making the place a per- 
fect pandemonium. It is a filthy place and sickening 
to one acc ustomed to the clean, trim villages of the 
United States. The newer portion of the town is 
more sightly, and the place bids fair to become once 
more an important seaport. How much these people 
need the gospel, and it cannot come too soon. 

It was quite amusing as well as interesting to see 
the manner in which the ship's coal supply was put 
on board. Two planks were laid from the ship to the 
dock where there was a huge pile of coal. At least 
fifty men and boys were on hand. Each had a basket 
which was quickly filled, raised to the shoulder, and 
carried up the plank, each one receiving a small coin 
as he stepped on the plank. So there was a constant 
procession up one plank and down the other. On 
the shore we saw pleasant looking gardens surround- 
ed by hedges of a species of the cactus, and amid the 
green leaves of the orange trees the ripe fruit was 
plainly visible. Everything indicated that we were 
approaching the tropics. We gathered a handful of 
wild flowers, among which daisies were most prom- 
inent, and carried them with us on shipboard. 



22 UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 

From this ancient seaport we continued our flight 
southward, and leaving the Italian shore it was not 
many hours until we came in sight of the high moun- 
tains of Greece. Almost the entire day we saw the 
snow covered peaks, and when the sun went down, for 
sometime after they were bathed in a sea of glory. 

During the night we passed the island of Crete, of 
which Paul speaks in Acts 27 : 7 : "And when we had 
sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over 
against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed 
under Crete, over against Salmone." Our voyage on 
the Adriatic was more pleasant than that of Paul's, 
and I am certain under more favorable circum- 
stances. It is difficult to tell where the dividing line 
between the Adriatic and the Mediterranean is, and 
one does not'concern himself much afrout it. 

We are again out of sight of land, the air is warm 
and most exhilarating, one draws in life at every 
breath. We were fortunate in having a smooth sea, 
clear days and nights. Such glorious sunsets as we 
had on this sea can not be described. They far 
excelled all the golden fancies woven in mystic 
dreams. No painter's pencil was divine enough to 
spread on such colors as these. It was the great Mas- 
ter Artist who mixed those colors in his laboratory 
and then spread them on that sea and sky. I saw 
the sunsets in my native land, and again amid the 
Alpine peaks I saw the white caps tinged with the 
gold of setting sun, but these sunsets on the Mediter- 
ranean, tempererd and toned down by this tropic sky 
made these others pale into insignificance. It seemed 
to me it was God throwing open the gates of the 
Eternal City and letting out some of its splendor. It 



MONK AND MISSIONARY. 



23 



is impossible for a nian at such a time and place to 
look upon a scene like that and then say there is no 
God. 

Over these same seas what countless vessels have 
sailed on errands of commerce and war. How many 
a good ship has gone down in these waters carrying 
with them their precious freight of souls and no one 
but God to hear their cries. One can make himself 
miserable on the sea by thinking continually of ship- 
wrecks, and storms and pirates. Some are so happily 
constituted that these things do not affect them. 
They are happy and contented as though they were 
on land. We had on shipboard a priest from a con- 
vent near Venice; he was well informed and quite 
loquacious. I had many a delightful conversation 
with him. Another passenger was a missionary 
returning to his work in India where he had already 
spent over thirty years of his life. He recounted to 
us the difficulties of the work, and thought that we 
who looked on missionary operations from a distance 
had too sanguine a view of it, and that the reports of 
wonderful conversions that come to our ears would 
lose much of their force were we fully acquainted 
with the circumstances in the case. He was not dis- 
couraged. The fact that he was returning to India 
was evidence of that. We go to our beds to dream of 
home and friends, and anxiously await the morning, 
for then we are promised our first view of Africa. 



CHAPTER III. 



ALEXANDRIA. 



THE GATEWAY OF EGYPT. 



ARLY in the morning we had our first glimpse of 



the African coast. A long stretch of sandy 



shore, and back of it a slight eleYation, upon 
which we could see numerous windmills used for 
raising water. After passing quarantine inspection 
the ship moved up to the docks. The harbor was full 
of all kinds of water craft, men of war, old hulls of 
rotten ships, numerous merchant vessels which carry 
the commerce of the world, many of them stopping 
o\\\j for a short time, bound for the far East by way 
of the Suez Canal. It was sometime before we were 
allowed to land and so we had a good opportunity to 
study the motley crowd before us. How different 
everything seemed here. Transported as we were 
from civilization into heathenism I could hardly help 
but wonder, and be truly amazed. At once the won- 
derful stories of the Arabian Nights came to my 
mind, and here we were on the threshold of a land 
whose people firmly believed in the power of the 
magician. But what does this restless crowd want 
here at this early hour. There must have been 
several hundred while the passengers on our steamer 
did not number more than twenty-five. They had 
evidently heard of our coming, and were there in 




FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 25 

force to meet us. They were there to welcome us to 
their land. They knew we were strangers and had 
come a great distance, and that we would naturally 
feel a little lonely, and so they were there with smil- 
ing faces to greet us. I had heard of the friendliness 
of these people and was prepared for it. 

It was really an interesting and intensely exciting 
scene I beheld as I looked from the railing of the 
steamer upon the restless crowd before me, and it is 




WINDMILL NEAR ALEXANDRIA- 



here that one gets his first idea of oriental life. It 
dawned upon my mind that although I was going 
into an old world, yet to me it was very new, new 
faces, new sights, new and strange voices. It seemed 
to>e that all the nations of the earth had represent- 



26 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



atives in that jabbering mass of people. The confu- 
sion was almost bewildering. There were costumes 
of various colors. The turbaned heads were the more 
numerous. There was the black head of the Copt, 
the dark blue of the Jew, the green and white of the 
Moslem. It was an easy matter to distinguish the 
nationality of each one by the covering on his head. 
I saw the shining black face of the Nubian, the 
swarthy countenance of the Abyssinian, the copper 
complexion of the Bedouin, and the white of the 
European. They were all there to meet us. They 
have an eye to business over there, and their business 
is that of robbing. They would take the clothes from 
a man's back if you gave them an opportunity. It is 
true in Egypt as everywhere else in the world that 
one "may smile, and smile, and be a villain still." 
Several of them picked me out as their victim, and 
one of them, with a grin that would have made a wolf 
tender-hearted, said, u Me lookee for you, me got 
donkey all ready. Me know you come." When we 
were ready to land the proper persons came on board 
for our baggage which was at once taken to the cus- 
tom house, while we were conducted safely through 
the howling mob to our carriage and hurried away. 

Your introduction to this strange land does not 
impress you very favorabty. How can it ? Such a 
confusion, such a scrambling, and to you meaningless 
jargon, such pushing and pulling for yourself and 
whatever you may have in your hand, does not make 
you feel that you are in a civilized land. It is an 
outrage that such things are allowed in Alexandria, 
which is in many respects a European city, and by 
far more modern than any other city of Egypt. In 
the course of time these things will change, and 



PROSPERITY OF THE CITY. 



27 



instead of the howling mob there will be the quiet, 
peaceful servants of the public. There are many 
places in civilized America where the confusion at 
railway depots is almost as great as here, and where 
one meets with hackmen and hotel porters as rude 
and impudent as these dark skinned people of the 
East. But we are in Alexandria now, and must say 
something about the place and describe some of the 
strange scenes which meet you at every turn. You 
are in the Orient, and with your Western notions and 
education it is no wonder you open your eyes when 
for the first time you see the life of the East. I shall 
not enter into full details as to the past history of this 
city or of any other, that is the work of the historian 
and antiquarian, but shall give more attention to the 
life and customs of the people, with descriptions of 
their cities, and the every-day scenes as they were 
presented to me while going up and down in the land. 

Alexandria has a history extending far back into 
the centuries. It was founded by Alexander the 
Great, about the year 322 B. 0., and at once took its 
place among the great cities of the ancient world. 
The location was certainly good and showed much 
wisdom on the part of the founder. Its harbor was 
so large and secure that it could contain all the 
navies of the world. The city itself was embellished 
with the most beautiful buildings, as the great Alex- 
ander would do nothing^ by halves. The architect 
whom the great warrior employed was the celebrated 
Dinocrates, who was famed throughout the world as 
the rebuilder of the temple of Diana at Ephesus. 
The new city prospered especially during the reign 
of the earlier Ptolemies, who made it their residence, 
and gave it fame both as a center of commerce and 



28 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



learning. It was mainly indebted for its prosperity 
to the advantageous position it occupied for trade, 
and became the most important commercial city of 
the world, but on account of various circumstances it 
finally took rank as the second city, and then became 
an insignificant place, known only as the gateway to 
Egypt. The first blow to its prosperity was the dis- 
covery of the highway to India by the Cape of Good 
Hope. 

The city also became early a seat of learning and 
was rich in literature, and famed for its libraries, one 
of which is said to have contained 400,000 rolls. Tra- 
dition says this large library was, at the order of the 
successor of Mohammed, used as fuel in the many 
baths of the city. His supposed language is well 
known. " If the writings of the Greeks agree with 
the Koran, they are useless, and need not be pre- 
served; if they disagree, they are pernicious, and 
ought to be destroyed." The better class of Egypt- 
ologists declare that the valuable scrolls of this 
library were stolen, carried to dilferent parts of the 
country, and some sold to Constantinople many years 
before that Monarch came into Egypt. It was here 
also that the seventy interpreters translated the 
Hebrew Scriptures into Greek several hundred years 
before the Christian era. Here St. Mark founded a 
Christian church which became a great power. Here 
also arose the Arian heresy, and here also found its 
greatest opponent in the person of Athanasius, who, 
when told that the whole world was against him, 
said: "Then I am against the world." An obscure 
poet who was in the habit of speaking with admira- 
tion of the heroism of the man, wrote : 



POMPEY'S PILLAR. 



29 



Yes, I do honor thee for those brave words, 

Against the heretic so boldly hurled ; 
Though no one else believe, I'll hold my faith, 

I, Athanasius, against the world. 

Thy faith is mine, but that is not my theme ; 

'Tis thine example I would preach to all ; 
Whatever each believes and counts for true, 

Of things in heaven or earth, or great or small. 

If he believe it, let him stand, and say, 
Although in scorn a thousand lips are curled, 

Though no one else believe, I hold my faith, 
Like Athanasius, against the world. 

Alexandria is not often mentioned in the Script- 
ures. It was the home of Philo the philosopher, 
and of that "certain Jew" named Apollos whom 
Paul refers to when he says, " Paul may plant, and 
Apollos water." A ship of Alexandria carried the 
apostle to Rome, and it was near this place from 
whence came that Simon of Cyrene who bore the 
Master's cross. It was also the home of Origen and 
many other famous men. Very little of the ancient 
city is left. Like its libraries and institutions of 
learning it has been swept away by the ravages of 
time as well as the ravages of men. To the south of 
the city there are many large mounds of rubbish, a 
mixture of stone, fragments of columns, broken 
bricks, and pieces of pottery. For many miles the 
soil is of this nature, and to a considerable depth. It 
is the cast-off rubbish of ages, the architectural beau- 
ty of the old city with what there was of its ancient 
art, broken and scattered and mixed with the com- 
mon soil. The modern city stands partly on what 
was the island of Pharos, now a peninsula, but the 
larger part stands on the isthmus by which it is con- 
nected with the main land. 

One of the most noted of the ancient landmarks 
about the city is Pompey's Pillar. It stands on a 



30 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



mound some forty feet high, the pillar itself being 
over ninety feet in height. It is showing marks of 
decay, and relic hunters have made havoc with the 
base. The general belief is that the pillar was 
erected by or in honor of the great Fompey who, 
after the battle of Pharsalia, was slain on the coast of 
Egypt. But this is a mistake, as it is known to have 
been erected by one Publius, a prefect of Egypt, in 
honor of the Emperor Diocletian. Near this pillar a 
spot is pointed out which is supposed to have been 
the site of the great Alexandrian library. In this 
vicinity also are the Catacombs; numerous guides 
are at hand to conduct you into them. I did not 
descend. The filth at the entrance satisfied me it 
was no better within, so I concluded to stay where I 
could have a fresh breeze from the sea. We also 
visited the cemetery, and were fortunate in being 
present on the wailing day. It is customary for the 
women to go to this place of graves once a week and 
wail over their dead. It was a sad sight, The ceme- 
tery is in itself a dismal place. Many of the graves 
are built up with mud, two or three feet high, made 
smooth and then whitewashed. All over the place 
there were groups of women and children, and from 
every quarter came a most dismal wail. There were 
mothers weeping over the new made grave of a child, 
and wives bewailing the loss of a husband. They had 
their lunch with them, and while some were wailing 
others were feasting. Is the sorrow which they mani- 
fested genuine ? I could not help but think it was. I 
do not know whether there is a people under the sun 
that does not manifest sorrow at the death of a loved 
one. Death everywhere causes gloom, and every- 
where the memory goes back to the dear ones who 



HOW THEY LIVE. 



31 



have gone to their long home. These women were 
giving expression to the grief in their hearts which 
memory called up when they thought of their dead. 
And yet their periodic wailing has very much the 
appearance of mere formality. that they had faith 
in him who said, " I am the resurrection and the life." 

It does not take more than a day to see Alexandria. 
It still bears the marks of the bombardment by the 
English in 1882. Many ^buildings being entirely in 
ruins. There are some very fine modern business 
blocks and everything gives evidence of a modern 
city. A drive through the place, however, reveals 
many phases of oriental life, and one can not help 
but at once notice the degradation of woman, she 
being looked upon as not much more than a beast of 
burden. Everywhere you see the Arab women, with 
not more than a single garment, a sort of a long shirt, 
open almost to the waist. They have a veil over 
their faces, and one can hardly see the propriety of 
covering their faces while they leave so much of their 
person exposed. But this is their custom. There are 
signs of a change, however, and many women go 
unveiled. The influence of foreigners is beginning to 
tell on them, and though they are slow to adopt the 
devices of civilization, yet the time is not far distant 
when a mighty change will be wrought in their lives 
and customs. In the poorer portions of the city the 
people live on the sidewalks, only creeping into their 
wretched hovels at night to sleep. They go to bed 
with the birds, and are awake and astir as early in 
the morning. They do most of their eating, trading 
and quarreling on the sidewalk. You see them lying 
asleep in the sun, the flies gathered in a dark circle 
about their eyes, even when awake little or no effort 



32 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



is made to drive away these pests, especially is this 
the case with the children. They are almost eaten 
up, and yet the mothers are unconcerned. The con- 
sequence is that the majority of the children are sore- 
eyed. Here, too, I saw for the first time the water 
carrier, going about with a goat skin on his shoulder. 
My first impression was that the man was carrying a 
pig on his back, but soon learned that it was a goat 
skin filled with water and which was retailed by the 
carrier for a very small coin. 

The ride from Alexandria to Cairo is in many 
respects a pleasant one. The distance is perhaps one 
hundred and thirty miles, and every mile reveals 
some strange things. The loungers at the various 
stations, Arabs large and small, in turbans and tar 
bousches, bare legs, and barefooted. The country 
through which you pass is very fertile. Here and 
there we pass little Arab villages, the houses built ot 
mud. On one side are great fields of barley ripe for 
the sickle, and on the other extensive fields ot grass. 
The products are barley, flax, peas, doura, rice, 
tobacco, cotton, and fruits. Here and there yon 
notice a grove of palm trees, and you can hardly 
believe your eyes when you see a camel and an ox 
yoked together to the plow. Usually two oxen or 
buffaloes do the plowing. All along the line of travel 
I saw the patient ox or donkey turning the wheel 
which raises the water from the canals for the irriga- 
tion of the land. These canals are filled during the 
annual overflow of the Nile ; but for this river, Egypt 
would be an uninhabitable place. The whole jour- 
ney is a panorama of which you do not tire, and a 
fitting introduction to what you shall see in and 
about Cairo. 



CHAPTER IV. 



CAIRO. 



HISTORY, BAZARS, AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE. 

IT was already dark when we reached Cairo, and 
we were glad to find rest in the elegant New 
Hotel opposite the city park. There was an 
immense crowd at the depot, and the strange confu- 
sion almost bewildered me. Every thing is confusion 
in this country. There seems to be very little order 
or system about anything. It may be, this lends 
attraction to the strange scenes you look upon daily. 
Cairo is one of the most important cities in the 
Mohammedan world, and is truly oriental in its char- 
acter. Its population is variously estimated from 
400,000 to 500,000. It is difficult to get correct statis- 
tics in all the eastern cities, and hence there are these 
various estimates. The city was founded about A. 
D. 970 by an Arab cariph, from Western Africa, who 
gave it the name Masr el Kahira, meaning u The 
Victorious." It is supposed this name was corrupted 
into Cairo. The original site was some miles up the 
Nile, but in the twelfth century the seat of govern- 
ment was transferred to the present location. It 
stands partly on a plain and extends to the slopes of 
the Mokattam range. The city does not cover so very 
large an area of territory, but the population in this 
as well as all eastern cities is very dense. The peo- 



A HETEROGENEOUS POPULATION. 



35 



pie are huddled together like sheep, so that many are 
crowded into a very small space. Here one has a 
fine opportunity of studying the Moslem character 
and customs. The population is largely of native 
Egyptian Arabs. There are some Copts, Turks, 
Bedouins, Jews, portly, sore eyed, and sleek tongued ; 
a few Italians, Greeks, French, and very few Ameri- 
cans. The dress and habits of the people are patri- 
archal, reminding one of the times of Abraham and 
Moses. But it is doubtful whether those ancient 
worthies were as filthy as the present inhabitants 
of the land. Many of the people live in miserable 
hovels, the walls of which are of mud or unburnt 
brick, and with floors of the same material. A part 
of the houses are usually occupied by camels, donkeys, 
chickens, sheep, and all kinds of vermin including 
fleas which are quite numerous and very active in 
Cairo. 

Of late years there have been evidences of marked 
improvement in the city. The rulers have been very 
extravagant with borrowed money, but they have 
left the city in much better condition. There was a 
time when Cairo did not possess one wide thorough- 
fare. It was a city of winding, narrow, unpaved 
lanes. But the Khedives vrere seized with the notion 
of making the city something like Paris or London, 
and so new and wide streets were opened right 
through the most populous portion, while the principal 
square which at one time was allowed to lie waste 
has been transformed into a beautiful park with quite 
a large lake in the center It is really a lovely place, 
and I found much pleasure in walking about in this 
green spot in the midst of the great city. I saw here 
some fine specimens of the Banyan tree. On one 



THE BAZARS. 



37 



side of this park is the palace of a former ruler, 
Mohammed Bey. In the garden belonging to this 
palace the unfortunate Kleber was assassinated. 
Give the rulers of Egypt all the money they desire 
and Cairo will be transformed into one of the most 
beautiful places under the sun. 

The bazars of the city are interesting to a foreigner, 
and you like to go again and again through the nar- 
row, dark, ill-paved, winding lanes they call their 
business streets. On either side of these lanes are 
the shops of the merchants. They are quite small s 
and the entire stock of wares could be carried away 
with a horse and cart. You see bazars where gold 
and silver ornaments are for sale, another for silks, 
for shoes, for pipes and tobacco, for carpets and rugs, 
another for brass ware, and anon you come upon the 
place where the wealthy buy their fine embroidered 
garments, and along side of it is a store where all 
sorts of antiquities are sold, and probably made. At 
least two-thirds of the antiquities purchased in Egypt 
are spurious. The shop keepers are anxious to sell 
They ask exorbitant prices, and cannot possibly sell' 
for less, and yet you buy for at least one-half the 
price asked. They are by no means k, one price" 
houses. In many of these shops you see the proprie- 
tor sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. These 
bazars are constantly thronged by a great crowd, and 
it was with some difficulty we pushed our way 
through. The streets are but a few feet wide, and 
yet here comes a camel with a great bundle of grass 
on his back, and you are compelled to stand up close 
to the wall. Everything is confusion. There are 
donkeys, and carts and dogs, a screaming, and push- 
ing, and scrambling, the like of which I have never 



38 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



seen nor heard, and which I am sure can be seen only 
in an oriental city. On some of the broad streets 
one frequently sees an officer of state going by in his 
fine carriage with his liveried driver. This display 
seems to be much enjoyed by the people. I noticed 
that nearly all these carriages had their runner, a 
man with richly embroidered waist-coat, white pants, 
which came to the knee, and a beautiful turban, from 
which depends a long tassel. These out-runners with 
long staff in hand keep ahead of the horses several 
rods, crying, "Make way ! Make way !" Even when 
the horses are going at great speed they keep clear 
of them. I inquired how long they were able to 
endure, and was informed that they could fly before 
the carriages at a rapid pace for several hours, and 
return after the exercise much fresher than the horses. 
But they have been trained for this work from their 
youth up. This is an oriental custom, and seems to 
have been prevalent in all ages. It prevailed in the 
days of Elijah, for we read that wishing to honor the 
King, he ran before the chariot of Ahab from Mt. 
Carmel to the "entrance of Jezreel." 

The street scenes are all very striking, and the 
strange customs that prevail carry us back to the 
days of the Old Testament, and we seem to be living 
and moving among the people of that distant time- 
Here comes a water-carrier with his goat-skin water 
bag thrown across his shoulder, crying as he clinks 
his brass cups together, "God will give you life if you 
drink of this." "The gift of God, the gift of God." 
At once there comes to mind the language of another 
who said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me 
and drink," or those other words spoken to the wom- 
an at Jacob's well. "If thou knewest the gift of God, 



THOUGHT IT WAS A GIFT. 39 

and who it is that sayeth unto thee, give me to drink, 
thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have 
given thee living water." Here comes a vender of 
lettuce. His donkey is almost entirely covered with 
it. In a loud voice he he cries out, "God only is 
eternal," implying that lettuce is not, and that they 
who want it had better buy at once. Here comes 
another, a vender of sugar cane, which is purchased 
by the people and eaten by them. The tables of the 
money changers are almost everywhere, and almost 
on every street you see the ease-taking Egyptian sit- 
ting or lying on the sidewalk. They love ease, and 
say, u The servant of God is passive, not elective. 
Doubtless Iblis, the accursed beguiles infidels to love 
walking or travel, but it is written on the pages of 
the air that sitting is better." The people are great 
gift takers. They are in fact beggars and so persist- 
ent in their demands that unless you boldly refuse 
to listen to their entreaties you will be able to dis- 
pose of all you have in a very short time. This 
desire for backsheesh, or gift, is not confined to the 
lower classes, but is also a failing of the highest in 
authority. It is related that when Ibrahim Pacha vis- 
ited the Bank of England, one of the directors put into 
his hand a small packet of paper tied with a ribbon, 
at the same time telling him he had in his hand five 
million dollars. With a grunt of satisfaction the 
greedy visitor at once proceeded to put the packet 
into his pocket, satisfied in his own mind it was back- 
sheesh. I have no doubt he felt bad when it was 
explained to him that it was not a gift, but was given 
him simply to show how great a treasure he was able 
to hold in his hand. It is doubtful whether the bank 
director ever did anything of the kind again. 



40 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The mosques of Cairo form one of its chief attrac- 
tions. These are at least four hundred in number. 
They are always open, and at almost any hour you 
can find the devout there engaged in their devotions. 
Friday is the Sabbath of the Mohammedans, and yet 
there is nothing to distinguish it from any other day 
except at noon which is the hour of prayer. The 
chief principles of their faith are expressed in two 
articles, "There is no deity but God," and Moham- 
med is God's apostle." He is considered not only 
the last but also the greatest of the prophets and 
apostles. Greater even than Moses. There are 
some of the followers of the prophet who conscien- 
tiously observe all the stated periods of prayer. Five 
times every day the faithful are expected to pray, and 
when those hours arrive whatever they may be 
engaged in they stop to say their prayers. The mer- 
chant in his shop, the boatman in his boat. I saw 
the driver of a cart stop and on the rude seat bow 
towards Mecca and repeat his prayer. Here is a 
specimen of some of their prayers. "The perfection 
of God," this is repeated thirty-three times. "Praise 
be to God," repeated the same number of times. 
"Extolled be his dignity; there is no deity but he." 
God is most great in greatness, and praise be to God 
in abundance." The first hour of prayer begins at 
sunset; the second at nightfall, the next at break of 
day; the next at noon, and the last about midway 
between noon and night. During the day you will 
hear a strange cry from the minarets of the mosques, 
and then you will remember that it is the muezzin 
calling the people to prayer. Every mosque has one. 
At the appointed times they cry out, "God is most 
great." "I testify that there is no deity but God." 




4 



42 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



"I testify that Mohammed is God's apostle." "Come 
to prayer." The mosques are built mostly of stone, 
and externally as well as internally are very attract- 
ive. Some, however, are very ancient, and are going 
to decay. The side of the mosque facing Mecca is the 
most important, a niche indicating the direction, and 
towards this they pray. The interior decorations of 
the mosques are usually very plain. Frequently you 
see texts from the Koran on the walls, but no repre- 
sentation of any living thing is allowed. The floors 
have no seats, they need none. The people would sit 
on the floor if seats were provided. You frequently 
see rich oriental rugs spread out for the worshipers 
to kneel upon. Very few women are seen in the 
public meetings. Though in most of the mosques 
there is a sort of gallery, having before it lattice work, 
where they may go if they wish, but they are seldom 
there. Upon inquiry of our follower of Mohammed 
why this was, he answered that there was nothing in 
the Koran forbidding them to appear in the public 
assembly, but it was thought best for them to per- 
form their devotions in private. Here, even in the 
matter of worship woman is compelled to stand back. 

I made inquiries of our dragoman as to the number 
of wives they were allowed, and was told that four 
was the number. Quite sufficient, I thought, for the 
poor people of the country. The law of the prophet 
allowed him but the four at one time. If he wished 
to marry another, all that was necessary for him to 
do was to send one away. He need but say to her 
"I divorce thee," and she must go. The men of our 
own country who find one wife a burden can surely 
sympathize with their more unfortunate brethren in 
Egypt who have four to hang about their necks. In 



DIVORCE. 



43 



a fit of passion, or because of a mere dislike, the 
Egyptian may send his wife away, and unhappily 
when so sent away the end is destitution and degra- 
dation hardly conceivable. It is possible for a man to 
divorce his wife twice, and marry her again, but if he 
divorce her the third time, and then wishes to marry 
her again, he must hire some other man, usually a 
slave, or some disagreable person, to marry her, 
divorce her, and then the loose and unjust law allows 
him to take her again. The laws are corrupt, and 
when administered by corrupt officials they are dis- 
torted to suit the occasion. Mr. Lane who made this 
matter a study years ago gives an illustration, the 
like of which is seen in this country at the present 
time. A friend of Mr. Lane was a witness: 

"He (the friend in question) was sitting in a coffee- 
shop with two other men, one of whom had just been 
irritated by something that his wife had said or done. 
After a short conversation upon this affair, the angry 
husband sent for his wife, and as soon as she came 
said to her u Thou art triply divorced;" then, address- 
ing his two companions, he added, "You, my brothers 
are witnesses." Shortly after, however, he repented 
of this act, and wished to take back his divorced wife; 
but she refused to return to him, and appealed to the 
Shara Allah or Law of God. The case was tried at 
the Mahkemeh. The woman, who was the plaintiff, 
stated that the defendant was her husband; that he 
had pronounced against her the sentence of a triple 
divorce; and that he now wished her to return to him 
and live with him as his wife, contrary to the law, 
and consequently in a state of sin. The defendant 
denied that he had divorced her. "Have you any 
witnesses?" said the judge to the plaintiff. She 



44 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



answered, "I have here two witnesses." These were 
the men who were present in the coffee-shop when 
the sentence of divorce was pronounced." They 
were desired to give their evidence, and stated that 
the defendant divorced his wife, by a triple sentence, - 
in their presence. The defendant avered that she 
whom he divorced in the coffee-shop was another 
wife of his. The plaintiff declared that he had no 
other wife; but the judge observed to her that it was 
impossible she could not know that, and asked the 
witnesses what was the name of the woman whom 
the defendant divorced in their presence. They 
answered that they were ignorant of her name. 
They were then asked if they could swear that the 
plaintiff was the woman who had been divorced 
before them. Their reply was that they could not 
swear to a woman whom they had never seen unveil- 
ed. Under these circumstances, the judge thought it 
right to dismiss the case ; and the woman was obliged 
to return to her husband." 

I was glad to learn, however, that polygamy was 
on the decrease, and that the majority of the poorer 
classes were satisfied with one wife. The dragoman 
said "Poor man not generally take lour, he have 
enough with one. He have four, and then come 
home in evening and have no money, then him big 
row. His life be very sorry all the time." Upon 
asking him how many wives he had he replied, "I 
hardly make living for one, what me want more 
wives for." It will be a happy day for the poor, 
degraded women of this country when once the 
Christian religion prevails there. Her lot will be far 
different from what it is under the religion of the 
false prophet. 



EG YPTIAN HOSPITALITY. 



45 



The degradation of woman is what strikes one as 
soon as he arrives in the land, and the longer one 
stays the more you see of it. A slave, a beast of 
burden, a piece of property, this is the estimate 
placed on her. For this condition of things the 
religion of Mohammed is, to a great extent, respon- 
sible. It is reported that Mohammed said : "I stood 
at the gate of hell, and lo ! most of its inhabitants 
were women." An opinion has obtained that the 
Koran taught that women were not endowed with 
souls, like men ; but that they were simply creatures 
of the appetite, and would perish like the animals 
created for the gratification of man. But this opin- 
ion is not correct. While the prophet affirmed that 
women are greatly inferior to men, he does not deny 
them admittance to Paradise if found worthy. It is 
related that an old woman once came to him, begging 
him to intercede with God to procure her admission 
into Paradise, but the prophet informed her that no 
old woman would be allowed to enter that place, 
which caused her to weep, whereupon he explained 
by telling her that on going to Paradise, she would 
become young again. 

The Egyptians are not by any means given to ver- 
acity, and custom has made lying easy. A common 
proverb among the women is, "My husband tells lies 
to me, and I tell lies to the neighbors." While the 
people generally are avaricious, yet there is among 
them a spirit oi hospitality that in many instances 
seems extravagant, especially is this the case among 
the wealthier classes. It is an injunction of the 
Koran, that the faithful' should "show kindness unto 
parents and relations, and orphans, and the poor, and 
the neighbor who is a kinsman, and also the neighbor 



46 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



who is a stranger, and their familiar companions, and 
the traveler, and the captives whom their right hand 
should possess ; for, verily God will not wrong any 
one, even the weight of an ant ; and if it be a good 
action, he will double it, and will recompense it in 
his sight with a great reward." Concerning the 
extravagant hospitality of the rich men, the following 
is an illustration. 

u Three men were disputing, which was the most 
liberal person among the Arabs. One gave the pref- 
erence to Abdallah, the son of Jaafar, the uncle of 
Mohammed ; another to Kais Ebn Saad Ebn Obadah ; 
and the third gave it to Arabah of the tribe of Aws. 
After much debate, one that was present, to end the 
dispute, proposed that each of them should go to his 
friend, and ask his assistance, that they might see 
what every one gave, and form a judgment according- 
ly. This was agreed to : and Abdallah's friend going 
to him found him with his foot in the stirrup, just 
mounting his camel for a journey, and thus accosted 
him: 'Son of the uncle of the Apostle of God, I am 
traveling and in necessity.' Upon which Abdallah 
alighted and bid him take the camel with all that was 
upon her, but desired him not to part with a sword 
which happened to be fixed to the saddle, because it 
belonged to Ali, the son of Abu Taleb. So he took 
the camel, and found on her some vests of silk and 
four thousand pieces of gold, but the thing of great- 
est value was the sword. The second went to Kais 
Ebn Saacl, whose servant told him that his master 
was asleep ; and desired to know his business. The 
friend answered that he came to ask Kais's assistance, 
being in want on the road. Whereupon the servant 
said that he had rather supply his necessity, than 



LIBERALITY OF ARABS. 



47 



wake his master; and gave him a purse of seven 
thousand pieces of gold, assuring him that it was all 
the money then in the house. He also directed him 
to go to those who had charge of the camels, with a 
certain token, and take a camel and a slave and 
return home with them. When Kais awoke, and his 
servant informed him of what he had done, he gave 
him his freedom, and asked him why he did not call 
him, Tor,' said he, 'I would have given him more.' 
The third man went to Arabah, and met him coming- 
out of his house, leaning on two slaves, because his 
eye-sight failed him, in order to go to prayers. The 
friend no sooner made known his case, than Arabah 
let go the slaves, and clapping his hands together, 
loudly lamented his misfortune, in having no money, 
but desired him to take the two slaves, which the 
man refused to do, till Arabah protested, that if he 
would not accept of them, he gave them their liberty; 
and leaving . the slaves, he groped his way along by 
the wall. On the return of the adventurers, judg- 
ment was unanimously and with great justice, given 
by all who were present, that Arabah was the most 
generous of the three.-' 

The hospitality of the Bedouins of the desert is also 
said to be remarkable, though I should not like to 
trust myself to their generosity very much, and you 
are not long in their midst until you come to the 
conclusion that they have reversed the saying of the 
Master and make it read, "It is more blessed to 
receive than to give." At every turn, from old and 
young you hear the demand for "Backsheesh," a gift. 



CHAPTER V. 



CAIRO. 



THE MOSQUES. — ABOUT THE CITY. — THE DERVISHES. 

I MONG the great multitude of Mosques, that of 



Mohammed Ali is the most gorgeous, and it is 



said to be second only to that of St. Sophia at 
Constantinople, after which it was patterned. It is 
really an imposing structure, and occupying an 
elevated position within the limits of the citadel, it is 
seen from a great distance. When I came to the 
entrance of the outer court I felt like as if I were 
going into an enchanted palace. The place of course 
was sacred, and we being infidels, were compelled to 
put on clumsy and filthy slippers, so that the mosque 
be not defiled, and yet I saw dirty Arabs with mud a 
quarter inch thick on their feet, walk right in. The 
only way I could account for this was that perhaps 
the dirt was sacred. The large court is paved with 
marble, and the many pillars about the sides are of 
alabaster. In fact, both within and without, the 
walls, pillars, pavements, arches, the very dome is 
constructed of rare oriental alabaster, though in 
many places it is showing the effect of exposure. In 
architecture it is a departure from the oriental type, 
showing in many respects a western coloring. The 
tomb of Mohammed Ali occupies a conspicuous place 
in the temple, and lights are kept continually burn- 
ing near it. The floor of the mosque is covered 




AN INHUMAN DEED. 



49 



with the richest rugs, and some twelve hundred 
lamps are suspended from the ceiling. In the court 
surrounding this structure there was enacted one of 
the bloodiest and most treacherous deeds. Moham- 
med Ali despised the Mamelukes, who had great 
influence in the government of Egypt, and they were 
looked upon with suspicion by him, and so he deter- 
mined to destroy them. The elevation of his son to 
some important position was made the pretext for a 
great feast in the royal palace. The Mamelukes were 
invited, and at the close of the 1st of March, 1811, as 
the invited guests were preparing to take their 
departure, they were fired upon by the soldiery con- 
cealed in the citadel. The gates being closed none 
could escape. Over four hundred of their chief men 
were slain. But one escaped. This was Emin Bey, 
who put spurs to his horse and leaped over the citadel 
precipice. A heap of rubbish at the bottom broke 
the force of his fall and he was saved. As I looked 
down that fearful height it did not seem possible that 
anyone could leap it and live. 

From the old citadel one has a fine view of Cairo 
and the vicinity. It is situated about three hundred 
feet above the Nile Valley. The view was most 
charming. It is one of the memories that will linger 
so long as I live. We were there in the morning, but 
I was told the proper time to take a view of the city 
was just before sunset. Far below we saw the river 
winding itsVay between its banks of green until it 
seemed lost in the desert beyond. Great trains of 
camel went lumbering on. Far away in the distance 
we got a glimpse of the pyramids and the sands of 
the Great Desert. You can see where ancient Mem- 
phis stood, and your eye follows the Nile far down 



50 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the Delta. There is a perfect wilderness of cupolas 
and minarets, and even at that great distance you can 
hear the screaming and howling of the Arabs. 

Within the citadel we were shown an old well, 
called Joseph's well. Why it was named thus is a 
matter of conjecture. There is nothing that can 
reasonably connect it with the patriarch. The sup- 
position is that it was excavated by S^aladin. It is 
cut through the solid rock to a depth of two hundred 
and seventy feet, and consists of two stories. A 
winding staircase is cut around the side of the well. 
The water is first raised from the bottom a distance 
of one hundred and twenty -five feet, into a reservoir, 
and from there by some clumsy machinery to the top. 
The water is, however, of a brackish taste, and hardly 
fit for use. 

It will not be possible to speak of all the mosques 
visited, but one more deserves special mention, 
because it is not only the oldest mosque in Cairo, but 
perhaps the oldest in the world. It is that of Amron 
or Amer, and was built in 642. It is said to stand on 
the spot where Amer, with his conquering Saracen 
forces, pitched their tents when Egypt was first sub- 
dued to the Moslem power. It is in the old portion 
of the city, and the houses about it are miserable and 
ruined abodes. The mosque itself is in a bad condi- 
tion, but enough of it remains to give some indica- 
tions of its former glory. We were allowed to enter 
the place without taking oif our shoes. The court- 
yard is surrounded by. some three hundred pillars, 
and is a filthy place, looking very much as though it 
had been used as a barn-yard. The mosque proper is 
paved with stone, portions of which were covered 
with matting, upon which we were ordered not to 



THE TWO PILLARS. 



51 



step. Here we were shown two pillars about ten 
% inches apart, the space between them being filled 
with mortar. Formerly the idea prevailed that who- 
ever could squeeze through between those pillars was 
sure to get to heaven. This made the future happi- 
ness of fleshy people very doubtful, and causing 
much disturbance, the authorities ordered the space 
to be filled with mortar. It certainly must have 
been an amusing sight to see some fat Arab get his 
head between the pillars and then, with visions of the 
future paradise before him, squeeze and push to get 
his body through," an impossibility, and yet tugging 
away. We can imagine, too, the look of chagrin and 
disgust upon his face as he turned away from his 
effort, while his more fortunate lean brethren went 
right through. 

Here also is a pillar which has a mark upon it 
something like the shape of a hand. It is said the 
mark was made by Mohammed striking the pillar, 
and by the one blow sending it from Mecca to this 
place. There were jugglers even in those days. 
Here also is a well which is said to reach to Mecca. 
To convince us of this a stone was dropped into the 
opening. Our American ears heard the stone thump 
against the bottom perhaps fifty feet down, but these 
deluded followers of the prophet could not hear it. 
These things are firmly believed in by the people, 
but they believe as firmly in backsheesh, for they 
stood around by the dozen, dirty women, naked chil- 
dren, sore-eyed, greasy men, holding out their hands 
for a gift because we were allowed the privilege of 
looking upon these shams. In former years on the 
walls of this mosque hung marble tablets upon which 
the entire Koran was written. Had those tablets 



52 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



been there yet, the gift-takers might have pointed to 
a passage out of the book of their law which justified 
them in taking all an infidel had. 

At the foot of the citadel is an unfinished mosque, 
commenced by the mother of the Khedive. From 
the appearance of the unfinished building I should 
suppose it would have been the finest structure of the 
kind in Cairo, but the Khedive found his cash would 
not reach, and so work was stopped. Still one other 
mosque of prime importance is that of El Azhar, 
founded in 975. It is not used as a place of worship 
at present, but is the University of Egypt. The 
students of this school number nearly ten thousand. 
The chief text-book is the Koran. It is all that is 
thought necessary. If these thousands of students 
were being instructed in the religion of Christ 
instead, what a mighty change would be wrought in 
that country in a short time. 

We also visited an old Coptic Church which is said 
to date far back into the centuries. It is a barn-like 
structure, but contains some fine wood carving, and 
many portions are inlaid with pearl. One of the 
custodians furnished us with wax tapers and then 
conducted us down a dark stairway where we were 
shown the spot where Joseph and Mary rested during 
their flight into Egypt. There is no certainty about 
this, just as about many other things you are shown. 
The church is very old, and it might be possible that 
in this very place Joseph and Mary reposed after 
they had reached the land whither they had been 
directed. 

Another interesting sight is that of the Dancing 
and Howling Dervishes. We visited the former first. 
Here we found about twenty-five men sitting in a 



THE DERVISHES. 



53 



circular enclosure, on a wooden floor, polished as 
smoothly as possible. At a certain signal they all 
arose and began a march around the circle, making a 
low bow when they came to the rug upon which the 
chief sat. At another signal they threw off their long 
outer robes, and then they began to whirl about on 
their toes like so many tops, circling about one 
another but never touching. They wore high white 
felt hats, and their long skirts spread out as they 
kept revolving. They continued their exercise until 
exhausted. The performance is truly astonishing, 
and one can hardly see how they attain such perfec- 
tion in it. From here we hurried to another portion 
of the city to get a glimpse of the Howling Dervishes. 
They were already at worship when we entered the 
old building. The walls were covered with various 
implements of torture, which were formerly used for 
self- affliction, until forbidden by the authorities. 
Such howling and hooting as I heard at this place 
fairly made my head ring. They shook their heads 
and swung their bodies something like a bear in a 
cage, and every muscle of their bodies seemed to be 
strained to the utmost. Sometimes the howling was 
in a low monotonous tone, and then again it was like 
the barking of a dog. All was done in concert, and I 
have no doubt they were as sincere in their mode of 
worship as we are in ours. The priest was a fine, 
intelligent looking man, while some of the howlers 
with their long hair looked like savages. 

We spent a half-day in visiting the gardens and 
palace of the Khedive. Not -the one in which he 
resides at present, b ut one formerly occupied by the 
monarch. It is now used only as a place of receiving 
distinguished visitors. After passing the guard at 



54 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the gate, we were allowed to wander at will about 
the place. The doors of the palace were opened and 
we went from one room to another. The building is 
an airy and fairy-like structure, and I was more than 




GARDEN NEAR CAIRO. 

* 



ever reminded of the strange tales in the Arabian 
Nights. Situated in the midst of a most beautiful 
garden, it seemed more the work of some genii or 



ABUSED CHILDREN. 



55 



wizard than the handiwork of man. We walked 
upon the richest carpets, sat down on the most beau- 
tiful chairs and sofas, and looked upon walls and 
ceilings decorated in the most wonderful manner. 
Yet there was no sound save that which was made 
by our own voices. All was quiet, and without in 
the garden there was no living thing, and no sound 
save the singing of the birds in the shrubbery near 
by. The gardens were enchanting. There were 
fountains, and miniature lakes, beautiful palms, 
including the date-palm loaded with large bunches 
of their fruit. The walks were bordered with many 
colored flowers, and over the whole place there 
seemed to be thrown a charm that made me reluctant 
to leave the scene. One of my most beautiful mem- 
ories of Egypt will be the few hours spent in this fair 
place. In wandering about the house and grounds 
we were satisfied that we had obeyed the command 
of the prophet who wrote in his Koran: "0 true 
believers, enter not any house beside your own 
houses, until ye have asked leave and have saluted 
the family thereof. This is better for you ; peradven- 
ture ye will be admonished. And if ye shall find no 
person in the house, yet do not enter them until leave 
be granted you; and if it be said unto you, return 
back ; do you, return back. This will be more decent 
for you; and God knoweth that which ye do. It 
shall be no crime in you that ye enter uninhabited 
houses, wherein ye may meet with a convenience." 

The houses of the rich are very fine, while the 
houses of the poor are the opposite extreme, the most 
miserable and wretched mud huts. The following 
description of the dwellings of the better class may 
be of interest : 



56 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



u Of the houses of the East it will be sufficient to 
say, that they have generally flat roofs, on which the 
occupants are accustomed frequently to take their 
coffee, or smoke their pipes in the cool of evening. 
The windows are mostly covered with a kind of 
lattice or trellis work. There are no beds ; the pur- 
pose of these conveniences being answered by fine 
carpets and cushions. The harem, that is, the por- 
tion of the house appropriated to the women, consists 
of a large room in the form of a cross; opposite to 
which runs a corridor, opening into small chambers 
used for sleeping apartments, or for domestic pur- 
poses. Round the saloon of the harem are divans 
more or less rich, according to the wealth or taste of 
the owners; and in the middle of the room, if the 
house belong to a person above the lower classes in 
station, is usually a small marble basin, with a foun- 
tain playing within it, and sometimes throwing up 
rose-water or essences, which shed an agreeable per- 
fume through the apartment Houses of- the better 
kind generally have gardens attached to them, in 
which are large trees and arbors; but none of the 
walks or parterres, which form the principal charm of 
such places in Europe. In the alcoves and arbors of 
these gardens, the Arabians are accustomed to spend 
a great portion of their leisure, smoking, listening to 
music, and conversing with their friends." 

In passing through the streets on our return we 
saw a funeral procession moving along. The 
deceased was borne on a bier upon the shoulders of 
four men, the mourners following and at intervals 
giving forth a mournful wail. We also saw a poor 
Arab taking out his family for an airing. The 
vehicle was a four-wheeled concern with a long 




5 



58 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



coupling. A plank perhaps fifteen feet in length was 
laid upon it, and on this, seated tailor fashion, were 
his four wives and a dozen or more children. Their 
lunch consisted of a bundle of sugar cane. The loco- 
motive power was a small donkey, not much larger 
than a calf. He had a hard time of it, and seemed 
very patient under the whacks he received from his 
master. 

I could not help but feel sad as I saw the thou- 
sands of poor, half-clad people lounging about the 
streets, and especially was my sympathy aroused for 
the poor children. Frequently I saw in the suburbs 
a mother walking at a rapid pace with a bundle upon 
her head while her little child followed behind, 
scarcely able to walk, crying most piteously, and yet 
receiving no attention whatever. I thought of Mrs. 
Browning's lines which aroused London to a sense of 
the degradation and misery of the children of that 
great city : 

" Do you hear the children crying, 
my brothers." 

Some day there will be a change in these matters. 
Outside of the high garden walls surrounding the 
palace there were hundreds of poor wretches lying in 
the sun. A strange contrast, Extreme poverty 
without and great wealth and extravagance within. 
The poor are oppressed. The rich are extortionate 
and hard task masters. As we were looking on, the 
garden gate opened and a fine carriage with all its 
accompaniments rolled out. No attention was paid 
to the poor. I said to myself, " Ye oppressors of the 
poor, some day these miserable wretches here may 
sit upon thrones while you are in misery." 



A STRANGE CITY. 



59 



Cairo is a strange city, the Cairo of history and 
romance, the city of the Arabian Nights, of Saladin 
and the Mamelukes, the city of mosques, and palaces 
and bazars. Improvements are going on, but what 
the city and country need most of all is the enlight- 
ening power and influence of Christianity. 



CHAPTER VI. 



SOME OF THE WONDERS OF EGYPT. 

THE NILE. — PYRAMIDS. — OBELISK AT ON. 

HE Nile may be truly reckoned among the won- 



ders of Egypt, and has been the study of geo- 



graphers and men of science for ages. It rises 
over 3000 miles to the southward in Victoria Nyanza, 
a large inland lake. Were it not for this river, Egypt 
would be nothing but a sandy desert. Even Hero- 
dotus called Egypt the gift of the Nile. It is the 
annual overflow that brings life and fertility to the 
land. The ancients attributed this phenomenon to 
various causes. Those who lived in countries whose 
mountains were covered with snow, and who saw 
their rivers swollen in spring by the melting of those 
snows would say this was the cause of the overflow 
of the Nile. A Grecian philosopher was of the opin- 
ion that there was really no increase of water in the 
channel, but that a strong wind blowing from the 
north upon the mouth of the river prevented the 
discharge of the waters into the sea, and so caused 
them to recede and inundate the land. Probably 
many of the ancients accepted this theory of the phi- 
losopher Thales. Some others held the view that the 
ocean was in some way connected with the river, and 
that the water became fresh and sweet by exposure 
to the sun during its long journey from Ethiopia. 




INUNDATION OF THE NILE. 



61 



Ephorus supposed the inundation was due to the fact 
that in winter the earth was saturated with moisture, 
which was set free during the summer by the 
extreme heat. So early as the second century before 
Christ, the true cause, the rainy season in Ethiopia, 
was assigned by some philosopher. An ancient 
legend says that during the night of June 17th, a 
mysterious drop falls from heaven into the Nile, and 
that at once the waters begin to rise. It is during the 
latter part of June that the rise is first perceptible in 
Egypt, but in a few days it grows stronger, until dur- 
ing the middle or latter part of August it reaches half 
its height. It is at this time the banks are cut, and 
the water allowed to flow into the various canals 
which intersect the land. Its highest point is reach- 
ed from the 20th to the 30th of September. It 
remains stationary for fourteen days, and then begins 
to sink. It is said that anciently the rise of the Nile 
was celebrated with great pomp, and a virgin of 
noble birth was crowned with flowers and then 
thrown into the river as an offering, to insure a great 
inundation, and so a plentiful harvest. The habit 
was abolished by the Arab conqueror. We took a 
boat and crossed over to the island of Rhoda, to see 
the Mlometer, by which the overflow or rise of the 
Nile is measured. There is here a deep well which is 
connected with the river by an underground channel. 
As the river rises, so does the water rise in the well. 
A pillar in the well shows the exact rise of the water. 
If the water falls short of twenty-four feet the harvest 
will be scant, if below eighteen feet it means famine 
for thousands of poor people. When it is lower than 
the latter mark, it is called the Sultan's water, and 
the annual tax is remitted. Diodorus is authority 



62 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



for the statement that during a famine the Egyptians 
consumed human flesh. In the year 1200 A. D., there 
was also a famine because of a low Nile, and this was ' 
the case also in 1784-5. A rich deposit is brought 
down with the waters, and this is evenly spread out 
upon the land during the overflow, practically renew- 
ing the land every year, so that artificial manures are 
not necessary. 

During the dry season the water which has been 
admitted into the canals is raised up by a great wheel 
to which buckets are fastened, the wheel being turn- 
ed either by a camel or buffalo. A contrivance call- 
ed the shadoof is also used for raising the water. It 
is something similar to the old fashioned well sweep. 
A large bowl is fastened to it which is dipped into the 
canal, then raised and emptied over into a smaller 
ditch, from which it is again directed upon the land 
by breaking the small dykes with the foot. This may 
refer to God's promise to the Israelites that he would 
bring them into a land that need not be watered by 
the foot. 

While on the little island we were shown the tradi- 
tional spot where the Egyptian princess drew the 
infant Moses from the water. While there is no cer- 
tainty about the matter, I could not help but think 
that I was at any rate not far from the spot where 
the great law-giver had been placed among the reeds 
on the river's brink. 

The pyramids are the best known of all the won- 
ders of Egypt, and are remarkable not only for their 
extent, but also for their excellent preservation. The 
more important of these are not far from Cairo, 
and can easily be reached by carriage in two hours. 
It was an excessively warm day upon which we vis- 



FIRST VIEW OF PYRAMIDS. 



63 



ited the monuments. The sun beat down most fierce- 
ly, and the wind came from the desert bearing with 
it the heated air from those arid plains which was 
very oppressive and pushed the mercury to the top 
of the tube. The road to the pyramids of Gizeh is 
lined on either side with trees, mostly acacia, which 
the thoughtful Egyptians have planted there for the 
double purpose of shade and to make the bank 
stronger and so prevent the water of the Nile during 
the overflow from washing away the road bed. Form- 
erly there was no road, and the visitor had a hard 
time of it in getting to the pyramids, but now there 
is an excellent road, leading up to the very base 
of Cheops. 

Just after we crossed the Nile in the suburbs of 
the city I got my first good view of the pyramids, but 
they did not impress me with their greatness. I was 
really disappointed. I had expected to see great 
mountains of stone. There was one fact that I did 
not think of, that is that the air of Egypt, and in fact, 
nearly all the eastern countries is very clear and very 
deceptive so far as distance is concerned. I thought 
they were just before us, and yet they were at least 
seven miles distant. But the nearer we got the 
larger the structures appeared. It was not, however, 
until we stood at the base of the larger pyramid that 
I had any true conception of their vast extent. I was 
overawed, and did not wonder much that Napoleon 
endeavored to spur the flagging zeal of his soldiers 
by pointing to the monuments and saying "forty 
centuries look down upon you." 

The Arabs were there thick as bees in a clover 
field, ready to offer their services. The sheik of the 
pyramids was also there, a long, lank, hungry look- 



64 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



ing fellow, ready to make contracts to take individ- 
uals up and into the large pyramid. You pay him a 
certain amount, and he furnishes you with guides 
who are to conduct you safely to the top. But as I 
was not feeling well, and the day was hot I had no 
desire to ascend, besides I am no climber, and so did 
not need the services of any of these sons of the 
desert. But they hang about you like leeches. For 
persistence, even after a dozen repulses the Arab 
goes far ahead of any nation under the sun. One 
stout fellow seemed especially friendly to me, telling 
me he had taken Mark Twain to the top, and endeav- 
ored to impress upon me the idea it would be an hon- 
or to take me up. "Me takee you up in ten minutes 
like Markee Twain." I declined for the twentieth 
time. But he was not dismayed, so he made a dive 
somewhere into his loose clothing and brought out a 
handful of coin which he wanted me to buy. When 
I refused to buy these he fished out some idols, which 
he declared had been found in the mummy pits. I 
suppose in a thousand years from now the wily 
Arab will stand at the pyramids and offer spurious 
coins and little gods just as they do now. The sup- 
ply will- never be exhausted, so long as there are men 
who make them. Yet it is possible to get some curi- 
osities that are genuine. 

The largest of these pyramids, that of Cheops, and 
in fact the entire group, was built on a rocky plat- 
form, is an accurate square, and is adjusted so as to 
face the cardinal points of the compass. Proctor 
endeavors to prove that the slant passage underneath 
the base of the pyramid, and running some three 
hundred and fifty feet through the solid rock was cut 
for the sole purpose of making observations of the 



66 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



chief star of what was at that time the polar constel- 
lation. This he says was done to "orient" the base, 
or in other words to have its faces true to the com- 
pass. The base of this pyramid covers an area of 
nearly thirteen acres, and is now 460 feet high, 
though formerly it was 480. It was begun during 
the reign of one Chufu, or Cheops, about the year 
2170 B. C. Still there is nothing certain as to dates 
in that remote period. What their true age, and 
what their design are matters of conjecture. Hero- 
dotus says the sides of the pyramids were enclosed in 
a casing either of granite or marble, and that these 
slabs were covered with inscriptions. These have 
been carried away and used in the construction of 
buildings at different periods. It may be some day 
an inscription will be found giving us some exact 
information about them. Until that time we can 
only conjecture, and look with wonder upon the vast 
pile of stones. Were they in some manner connect- 
ed with the religious rites of the ancient Egyptians, 
or as places of refuge in an unusual overflow of the 
Nile, or monuments to commemorate some import- 
ant event, or as some think observatories, or for 
tombs, these questions I cannot answer. At any rate 
the pyramids were old when Moses was rescued from 
the water. They were hoary with age in the days of 
Herodotus, as well as when blind Homer sang his 
immortal songs, and unless destroyed by the vandal- 
ism of man will stand to the end of time. 

One can hardly describe his feelings as he sees 
these great pyramids and thinks of the fact that 
Moses looked upon them, and perhaps knew the mys- 
tery connected with them. 

In speaking of the opening into the large pyramid, 



MYSTERY OF THE PYRAMIDS. 



67 



Kenrick in his kC Ancient Egj^pt" says: "The original 
opening is, like that of all the other pyramids, in the 
northern face, but a little on one side of the center, 
about forty-five feet from the ground, and in the 
fifteenth course of stones, a block of unusual size is 
immediately over it, on which rest four others, meet- 
ing so as to form a kind of pointed arch or pediment, 
an arrangement by which the pressure from above 
was lessened and the opening preserved from being 

crushed From this entrance the passage 

descends at an angle of twenty-six degrees. After a 
descent of sixty-three feet it divides, one passage con- 
tinuing in the same straight line, the other ascending 
towards the center of the pyramid. . . . The 
upper passage thus entered is continued by an ascent 
for 125 feet, when it again divides ; one branch runs 
horizontally, with only the descent of a single step, 
for 110 feet, and terminates in the Queen's chamber, 
an apartment about seventeen feet long, sixteen wide, 
and twent} r high. . . . Nothing however, has 
been found in it ; if a sarcophagus should be conceal- 
ed anywhere, it must be in the floor." Near the 
junction of the two passages above spoken of is a 
well, which is sunk partly through the masonry and 
partly through the solid rock. It is 191 feet deep, 
and though perpendicular for the first twenty feet, 
after that depth it is somewhat inclined. It is pretty 
certain it was never used as a well, but for the pur- 
pose of ventilation. The King's Chamber, the princi- 
pal apartment of the pyramid, is thirty-four feet long, 
seventeen ,feet wide, and its height nineteen feet. 
There is in this chamber a sarcophagus of red granite, 
but there is no evidence that any one was ever 
deposited in it. 



68 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



So far as the manner of constructing the pyramids 
is concerned we have no information. How the 
great stones were raised to their places at so great a 
height will perhaps always remain a secret. Hero- 
dotus informs us that a causeway was built from the 
foot of the Mokattan mountains, across the valley, 
and rising gradually to the hill on which the pyra- 
mids stand, and that a hundred thousand men work- 
ed on it for a period of ten years. This causeway 
was used as the road over which the stones were con- 
veyed to the structures on the edge of the desert. It 
is sad to think of the oppression of the thousands of 
poor men employed in this great work, and whose 
only pay consisted in garlic, onions, or a few roots. 
Their work, however, has endured through all these 
ages to the present day, and now a race looks upon 
them, whose condition is not much better. 

As we walk about these monuments we get some 
faint idea of the great antiquity of the Egyptians, 
and yet even before the Egyptians there was a civili- 
zation which extended far back into a dim past. It 
was their custom to boast that they were the oldest 
people in the world, but Herodotus says that one of 
their kings named Psammetichus once put this to 
the test and decided against them. Two infants were 
kept carefully apart from all human society, their 
attendants receiving strict orders not to utter a word 
before them. Women were not used as nurses, but 
the children were suckled by goats. One day when 
they had attained the age of two years they came to 
the keeper, stretching out their hands and crying 
Bekkos! bekkos! which is the Phrygian for bread, 
the palm of antiquit}^ was therefore given to the 
Phrygians. This may be simply a tale by Herodotus 



THE SPHINX. 



69 



without any foundation. But one thing is certain it 
is impossible to obtain correct dates as to the age of 
the Egyptians. It is very probable they were the 
first race to make written records of any kind. So 
early even as the age of Chufu, the decimal system 
was known. They had a fair knowledge of mathe- 
mathics, of geometry, as well as astronomy and med- 
icine. They were in possession of the secret of hard- 
ening copper, and discovered glass. They also knew 
something about the blowpipe, the bellows, the chisel, 
the balance, and the potter's wheel. The harp and 
flute were also in .use. Their commerce extended to 
distant nations and brought in rare material from 
other lands. They worked the copper mines of the 
Sinaitic peninsula, and also the gold mines of the 
Besharee desert. 

Besides the pyramids the next most wonderful 
object is the Sphinx. It is not far from the eastern 
edge of the hill or platform on which the pyramids 
stand, the head of the monster being turned towards 
the river. It seems to be cut out of the solid rock 
with the exception of a portion of the back and the 
forepaws. The height from between the paws to the 
top of the head is sixty-three feet, the paws extend 
fifty feet, while the length of the body is 140 feet. 
The circumference of the head is 102 feet. The face 
has been very much mutilated, the nose being entire- 
ly gone. It also had a beard, but this, too, has disap- 
peared. The fact that even at the present it is 
elevated some forty feet above the level of the soil, 
is an indication of how much of the rock had to be 
cut away. For ages it was almost covered by the 
sands of the desert, but in late years it was uncovered 
so that now its great proportion and beauty can be 



PYRAMIDS OF SAKKARA. 



71 



realized. It is very likely that the sphinxes were 
intended to represent royalty, or intelligence com- 
bined with great physical strength. This might be 
inferred from the fact that they have the head of a 
man and body of a lion. It is not possible to tell the 
age «f the great Sphinx, though some suppose that it 
is older even than the pyramids, while others suppose 
it to be of a much later date because Herodotus 
makes no mention of it. 

Not far from this strange figure is the temple of the 
Sphinx, which has been more recently discovered and 
partly uncovered. The sands of the desert are again 
encroaching upon it as well as on the Sphinx, and 
unless precautions are taken, will again pile up about 
them. It was with much reluctance I left these 
strange monuments, and shall never forget the 
delight I experienced in looking upon them. 

We also spent a day in visiting the pyramids of 
Sakkara. This is also an interesting group, and per- 
haps the oldest structures of the kind in the world. 
We took the railway for some twelve or fifteen miles, 
and from there were to complete the rest of the 
journey on donkeys. I shall never forget the scene 
at this little railway station. It was picturesque, 
serious, and yet laughable. There were some seven 
or eight of us, and I do not exaggerate when I say 
there were at least fifteen Arabs there with donkeys. 
They were not allowed inside the gates at the station, 
but when these were opened the fun began. Each 
one of them wanted us to take his donkey. So there 
was a scramble. They took hold of us, tried to lift us 
upon their beasts, shouting at the top of their voices. 
The matter was becoming serious for me. A stout 
Arab had me by the arm, and in the press I fell to 



72 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES, 



the ground and was in danger of being trampled 
upon, but I succeeded in gaining my feet once more, 
and then raised my umbrella to let it come down 
upon the head of the Arab, but he got out of the way. 
Finally our dragoman with a club brought about 
some order, and we mounted. These Arab boys have 
learned a little English which they make use of. 
"My donkey speak English. He good donkey. 
Him name be Jubilee. American gentleman berry 
good. Ya! ya! ya! Give me backsheesh." 

The donkeys are quite small and yet active. They 
have a peculiar habit of leaping to one side when 
you are not paying attention, and very likely you go 
off on the other into the sand. We passed over the 
site of ancient Memphis of which nothing is left but a 
colossal statue of Rameses II., and soon after we 
came to the desert and the vast cemetery of that 
great city. The hill on the edge of the desert and far 
back is filled with mummy pits. These have been 
broken into by the natives, the mummies torn to 
pieces for the relics that are found under the linen 
with which they are wound, and then scattered 
about. For miles the sands are covered with por- 
tions of the human body, legs, hands, arms, skulls, 
&c. You can hardly walk without tramping upon 
them. There is nothing peculiar about this group of 
pyramids, except the one which is called the step 
pyramid, because it is built in terraces. It is situated 
about ninety feet above the plain. The pyramid was 
originally more than 200 feet high, while each side 
measured 330 feet. The date of its erection is said to 
have been in the reign of Ata, the fourth Pharaoh of 
the first dynasty, about B. 0. 3,600. Around this 
same pyramid are grouped some ten others, besides a 



CITY OF THE SUN. 



73 



great many tombs and mummy pits. There are 
some well preserved hieroglyphics and frescoes in 
some of the underground tombs and temples in this 
vicinity. Here also is the Apis Mausoleum, or tem- 
ple of the sacred bulls. There are here a great num- 
ber of vast granite sarcophagi in which the animals 
were deposited. The animal was held sacred by the 
ancient Egyptians and hence received this royal 
burial. 

One other monument must be mentioned. It is 
that of the Obelisk at Heliopolis, some five miles 
from Cairo. It is- all there is left to tell that here 
once stood a great city. It was the famous On, the 
the residence of the priest Potipherah, whose daugh- 
ter Asenath Joseph married. It was here that the 
worship of the sun had its chief center and hence the 
name Heliopolis, City of the Sun. It was perhaps 
the most ancient university in the world, and its halls 
were crowded with youth from distant lands eager to 
drink in the occult wisdom which only the priests of 
On could teach. Here Thales, and Solon, and Pytha- 
goras, and Moses were instructed in the wisdom of 
the Egyptians. It was here that perhaps the oldest 
book in the world was written on papyrus leaves, the 
"Book of the Dead." In front of one of the great 
temples of the sun stood the Obelisk, along with a 
companion, now lost, and there it stands to-day. In 
an enclosure near by is a fountain called the fountain 
of Mary, because it is supposed that Mary and 
Joseph rested there on their flight into Egypt, and 
tradition says, wherever they halted, even for a night, 
a miraculous spring appeared. 

On the way between Heliopolis and Cairo, there is 
at present an extensive ostrich farm, where these 

6 




THE OSTRICH. 



EMBALMING. 



75 



royal birds can be seen in all stages of development. 
They are much finer than the shaggy looking birds 
we see in our museums. 

One thing is noticed by the antiquarian, in the 
burial customs of the Egyptians, and that is the care 
they exercised in the burial of their loved ones. 
From the manner in which they cared for the dead 
we would infer that they were deeply religious, pre- 
paring for them costly resting places, so that they 
might be ready for a resurrection to a higher state. 
It is probable that the pyramids were the outcome of 
this faith, for we know that the Egyptian held to the 
immortality of the soul as well as the resurrection of 
the body, and it may be for this reason also that they 
embalmed the bodies of their dead. This art has 
been lost, and will probably never be rediscovered, 
although it would be of no practical value to the 
world were it again discovered. Herodotus gives the 
process of embalming as practiced in those days, and 
as it may be of interest I will give it : 

"There are persons entrusted with this business 
It forms their profession. When the corpse has been 
brought to them, the embalmers show the friends of 
the deceased wooden models of corpses, unstated in 
painting, and they point out those that they consider 
the most worthy of attention, the name of which I do 
not deem it proper to give in this place. They then 
exhibit the second which costs less, and finally the 
third, which is the cheapest of all. After this, they 
ask how they are desired to operate upon the corpse, 
and so soon as they agree upon the style and the 
terms the relatives depart. The operators thus left 
to themselves proceed in the following manner to 
embalm in the best of style : First, with a bent iron, 



76 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



they extract the brain through the nostrils, at least 
the greater part of it, and afterward the rest by the 
application of dissolvent injections. Then, with a 
. sharp Ethiopian stone, they cut open the sides of the 
corpse, take out all the intestines from the abdomen, 
wash the latter with palm wine, besprinkle it with 
powdered perfumes, and at 
last sew it up, after having 
filled it with bruised myrrh 
of fine quality, cinnaman 
and other perfumes, from 
among which incense alone is 
excluded. These operations 
completed, they dry the body 
in carbonate of soda and 
leave it plunged in that for 
seventy days, but no longer ; 
they are not permitted to do 
so. At the expiration of the 
seventy days, they wash the 
corpse and wrap it up com- 
pletely in bandages of the 
finest linen saturated with 
gums, of which the Egyptians 
make great use instead of 
glue. The relatives then 
again take possession of the 
corpse, enclose it in a wood- 
en case shaped like a human 
body, and place it standing 
against the wall in the burial 
chamber. This is the costli- 
est style of embalming." 
The Boulak Museum is worth a visit. Here are 




MUMMY CASE. 



BOULAK MUSEUM. 



77 



the treasures of Egypt in statuary and antiquities. 
In fact we look upon the most ancient objects that 
have survived the wrecks of time. Here is the oldest 
painting in the world, and linen that might have 
been used at the feast when Joseph married the 
daughter of the priest at On. Here also you see corn 
which may be part of that which was stored up dur- 
ing the great famine in the land. But the most 
interesting object of all this great collection is the 
mummy of Rameses II., the oppressor of Israel, the 
king that knew not Joseph. You can hardly believe 
that from the lips of the man before you the order 
went out three thousand years ago to slay the baby 
boys of the Hebrews, and who made the lives of God's 
people " bitter with hard bondage." Yet it is pretty 
well established that this is the mummy of that 
Pharaoh. There are here also the mummies of other 
noted personages, and more will be added from time 
to time as discoveries are made. But it is time to 
leave Cairo, and though I leave it, I have carried 
with me a wealth of memories, from which, as the 
years go by, I shall bring out pleasant pictures of 
that wonderful city and its surroundings. 



CHAPTER VII. 



SUEZ AND THE WELLS OF MOSES. 

SUEZ. — A DONKEY RIDE INTO ARABIA. — AYOUN MUSA. — 
ROUTE OF THE ISRAELITES. 

nnHE journey from Cairo to Suez is made by rail- 



way, passing through the fertile land of Goshen. 



It is indeed a pleasure to get into such a magni- 
ficent spot as this, and I could well see how the 
children of Israel would be content to dwell in this 
portion of the country, but the journey also lies 
through some forty miles of desert which is not so 
pleasant, shut up in the close, uncomfortable apart- 
ment of the railway carriage which is made after the 
pattern of the English cars. The day was warm, and 
the hot wind from the sands made the journey all but 
enjoyable. The delights of traveling over the desert 
have been much exaggerated by travelers, whether 
you go in a railway car, by camel, or by donkey. 
The line between the desert and the fertile land is 
very marked. You can stand with one foot on the 
grass and with the other step upon the barren waste. 

We pass a number of miserable looking villages by 
the way. It is impossible to see how these people 
gain a livelihood here in the desert. And yet they 
live. Through the more fertile portions of the 
country one sees, at the various railway stations, well 




GRAVES IN THE SAND. 



79 



dressed Arabs, indeed some are richly dressed, but in 
the desert you see only the coarse camel hair cover- 
ing. Perhaps midway between Cairo and Suez we 
halt for a few minutes at Tel-el Kebir. Not far from 
the station in a sort of depression you see wooden 
crosses, and other marks of a burial ground. We 
then remembered this was the famous battle-field of 
Tel-el Kebir, where the conspiracy of Arabi received 
its death-blow. It brought to our hearts a moment- 
ary sadness as we thought of the brave English 
soldiers who found a grave in the sand, and of the 
sorrow their death caused in the hearts of the dear 
ones at home. The defences of sand which were 
hastily thrown up by both armies are still visible, but 
in the course of a few years the shifting sands will 
leave no traces of these works, but time will never 
efface from the heart of the English mother the image 
of her loved boy whose bones are bleaching in the 
sands by Tel-el Kebir. 

There is no lightning express, no thunderbolt or 
thunderer, nor even a fast mail on the Egyptian rail- 
way. The train creeps along almost at a snail's pace, 
and at evening we reach Suez. Here again we meet 
the usual horde of Arabs, waiting to carry our bag- 
gage, or sell us some of their trinkets. It is no 
trouble to them to lie, and they do not think it 
wrong. They will tell you the hotel is two miles off 
when in fact it is just around the corner. 

Suez is an old town situated on a branch of the 
Red Sea, or Gulf of Suez, and is by no means beauti- 
ful for situation, the desert being all about it. The 
present town is modern, but it has, from the earliest 
days, occupied a position of great importance. The 
old town of Clysma stood somewhere in this vicinity, 



80 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



but it is not certain whether the modern Suez occu- 
pies the site. But however that may be, Suez, on 
account of various misfortunes, declined in import- 
ance until it became little more than a fishing 
village, wakened into life occasionally by the bustle 
of a caravan, being on the overland route to India. 
For many years the place suffered for the lack of 
fresh water. Formerly it was brought across the gulf 
from the "Wells of Moses," on the Arabian side. 
Then when the railway was completed from Cairo to 
this place, the water was brought in large tanks from 
the former city. This was an improvement on the 
manner in which it was obtained from the desert, yet 
even this was not what was needed to make Suez a 
desirable place in which to live. But when the fresh 
water canal from the Nile was completed it began to 
increase in importance once more. Its greatest activ- 
ity was reached during the building of the famous 
canal which unites the Mediterranean with the Bed 
Sea, shortening the route from England to India 
about four thousand miles. While the work on the 
canal was in progress the population increased from 
5,000 to 15,000. But after the completion of this 
great work it again decreased, and is now a dirty and 
unpleasant place. The traffic which was expected to 
be brought there by the canal, went by it rather than 
to it. There is nothing of interest in the city. The 
bazars are poor concerns, the population is mixed, 
and altogether you have an unfavorable impression 
of the place. From the roof of the hotel you have a 
fine view of the gulf, and it is said that on a clear day 
with a glass you can see the white peak of Sinai far 
away in Arabia, while Mount Ataka is plainly visible 
on the western shore of the gulf. Within a short dis- 



OFF FOR AYOUN MVS A. 



81 



tance of the hotel is one of the traditional routes of 
Israel across the sea, while the other is further down 
the gulf. 

We made the journey to Suez for the sole purpose 
of visiting Ayoun Musa, or the Wells of Moses, some 
nine miles distant from the town. This is really the 
only object that could induce anyone to come to Suez, 
for the way is a long one, the atmosphere almost at 
the boiling point, and the hotel accommodations not 
any of the best, and yet after having endured all this, 
together with the ride through the desert on the 
Asiatic side, one feels well repaid for his trouble and 
inconvenience. 

We started from Suez about eight o'clock in the 
morning in a small sailing yacht, in which men and 
donkeys were crowded together almost like mackerel 
in a keg. It was very amusing to see them load the 
animals. The boats cannot come close to the shore, 
and so the donkeys are driven out into the water 
where two stout Arabs take hold of their forelegs, lift 
them up onto the edge of the boat, give them a shove 
and in they go. They take it all very pleasantly, 
just as though they were made to be kicked and cuff- 
ed about. We were carried in on the shoulders of 
the Arabs, but were landed in the boat with a little 
more care. After sailing down the gulf a short dis- 
tance we entered the canal, and a ride of a half hour, 
brought us to the usual landing place. Here we 
were again carried to the shore by the Arabs, and 
when the donkeys were landed and saddled we 
mounted and were olf over the desert of Arabia. It 
is almost impossible to describe the desolation of 
these sandy wastes. The eye rests upon nothing but 
sky and sand. " At some places there are rocks and 



82 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



bowlders, but wherever you look there is desolation. 
Here and there is a stunted shrub, how it gets moist- 
ure, it is impossible to see. Occasionally in the dis- 
tance you see a camel moving slowly with a burden 
upon his back bound for some distant market. Well 
has this animal been called the ship of the desert, and 




SHIP OF THE DESERT. 

he is the only beast of burden that can endure long 
journeys over these arid plains. He is ungainly, ill- 
tempered, and it is said revengeful. But take him 
from the desert and for all purposes a horse is worth 
two. For short trips even on the desert the little 
donkey excels the camel in speed and comfort. 

On we go over the sand as fast as the donkeys can 



DONKEY RIDE IN THE DESERT. 



83 



carry us, for the Bedouins who ran behind to drive 
them will not allow them to walk. They have a long 
stick with which they persuade the little creatures to 
go quite briskly. They are unmerciful too, if you 
object, they smile, and promise not to do it again. 
But they have another mode of starting them off on 
a run. It is by an almost unearthly yell. The don- 
keys seem to understand it, and when they hear it 
they shoot off like an arrow, and unless you are a 
good rider, or are on your guard you measure your 
length in the sand. 

After an hour's ride we see before us an oasis, a 
clump of green on a hillside, but the air is very clear, 
and what seems to us a short distance is still an 
hour's ride. At last we reached the place and were 
glad to sit down in the shade. The sun is very hot 
and the glare on the sand is not very pleasant to your 
eyes. Occasionally a gust of wind blows the sand 
into the air, as well as into your face, and you long 
for shelter. We found Ayoun Musa, a very pleasant 
spot, that is, compared with the surroundings. In a 
desert a tree or a spring of water is very refreshing. 
The number of springs or pools at the present time 
does not exceed seven or eight. Dean Stanley men- 
tions seventeen. In only one of them could we see 
the water bubbling up. In the others there seemed 
to be no motion, and yet in spite of the evaporation 
were continually full. While the water is fresh it 
has a brackish and unpleasant taste. There are a 
few Arab huts in this garden spot, and the men and 
children were the most miserable I had yet seen. I 
was told that during the summer months, when the 
winds were from the sea this was a pleasant place, 
and that many resorted to it during that season. 



84 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Not far from this oasis, on quite an elevation of sand 
we could see a solitary palm tree, and were told that 
at its roots there was a fountain. 

But what of special interest is there connected with 
Ayoun Musa, or the Wells of Moses? There is no 
certainty that the great leader of Israel ever saw 
them, or that they were in existence in his day, and 
yet there is a probability that it was so. Some have 
supposed that it is the Elim, mentioned in Exodus 
15 : 27. "And they came to Elim, where were twelve 
wells of water, and three score and ten palm trees ; 
and they encamped here by the waters." So far as 
the description is concerned there might be some 
truth in this theory. But the probabilities are that 
Elim was farther off, for we are told the people wan- 
dered three days after crossing the sea, before they 
came to that place. 

This certainly is a place for meditation. Some- 
where in this vicinity, for the sea is not very far off, 
the children of Israel crossed through on dry land 
and escaped the hands of the oppressor, and it may 
be that here at these wells or fountains they rested. 
The configuration of the land on the opposite shore 
would seem to indicate that near here was where 
they came through. Of course it is only supposition. 
There is no monument on record of any kind to indi- 
cate the exact spot where Israel crossed, nor were we 
able to dig up any chariot wheels or armor from the 
sands on the shore, but I am perfectly willing to 
believe that it was not far from this point, and that 
they passed by the pools of water now called the 
Wells of Moses. The Scripture account of the Exo- 
dus is given in numbers 33 : 2-10. "And they depart- 
ed from Barneses in the first month, on the fifteenth day 



THE GREAT MIRACLE. 



85 



of the first month ; . . And the children of Israel 
removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth, and 
pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilder- 
ness. And they removed from Etham, and turned 
again to Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon ; and 
they pitched before Migdol. And they departed from 
before Pihahiroth, and they passed through the midst 
of the sea into the wilderness, and went three day's 
journey into the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in 
Marah. And they removed from Marah and came 
into Elim." 

It has been attempted to explain away the crossing 
of the sea by the Israelites on entirely natural 
grounds, doing away with the miraculous altogether, 
but all such views are unsatisfactory. The Bible 
account of the matter as recorded in Exodus seems to 
be very simple, and yet to tell just where Moses 
stretched out his hand over the sea is a question that 
has not been decided after the lapse of these many 
centuries. The language used in regard to this great 
event is, "And Moses stretched out his hand over the 
sea; and Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a 
strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, 
and the waters were divided. And the children of 
Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry 
ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on 
their right hand and on their left." 

There are two principal theories advanced as to the 
place and manner of the miracle. The Arabs have a 
tradition which locates the place some miles to the 
south of Suez, at a point between Mount Ataka and 
the Arabian coast near Ayoun Musa. At this place 
the sea is from seven to ten miles wide and of consid- 
erable depth. If we were to take the account in Exo- 



86 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



dus in a literal manner, that there was a wall of 
water upon either side of the vast host as they passed 
over, then this spot would perhaps best accord with 
the account. The other theory is that the Exodus 
took place a short distance from Suez, where the 
channel is scarcely a mile wide, and where the water 
is so low that at the time of an unusual ebb the land 
is bare. It may be possible that during one of these 
ebbs, and while the wind was unusually strong from 
the northeast the waters receded to such an extent 
that the host of Israel could pass over, and then 
returning overwhelmed the vast army of Pharaoh. 
While we may not be able to decide just what the 
manner was by which they crossed, there is one thing 
certain, it was by miracle. 

Palmer in his "The Desert of the Exodus" remarks 
upon this subject. "From the narrative in Exodus 
14, it would seem that the Egyptians came upon 
them before they had rounded the head of the Gulf, 
so as to compel them either to take to the water or 
fall into their enemies hands, equally fatal alterna- 
tives, from which nothing but a miracle, such as that 
recorded, could have saved them. But natural 
agencies, miraculously accelerated, are mentioned as 
the means employed by God in working out this 
signal deliverance, and we need not, therefore, sup- 
pose anything so contrary to the laws of nature as 
that the children of Israel crossed between two verti- 
cal walls of water in the midst of the deep sea 
according to the popular mode of depicting the scene. 
Some writers have imagined that a great change has 
taken place in the level of the sea since the time of 
the Exodus, but recent examination does not at all 
confirm this hypothesis, while there is abundant 



TRADITIONS. 



87 



evidence that the northern end of the Gulf of Suez, 
has been gradually silted up, and that in consequence 
the shore line has steadily advanced farther and 
farther southwards. It follows from this that, if, 
according to the view held by many modern authori- 
ties, the passage took place at the head of the gulf 
as it existed at the time of the Exodus, the Israelites 
must have crossed at a point several miles north of 
its present limits." 

Diodorus, who was in Egypt some time before the 
birth of Christ says the tribes on the Red Sea, " Have 
a tradition which has been handed down among them 
from age to age, that the whole bay at the head of 
the sea was once laid bare by ebb tides, the water 
heaping itself on the other side, so that the bottom 
was seen." Eusebius who has preserved some of the 
writings of Artapanus, a Greek who lived before 
Christ, records the following : u The priests of Mem- 
phis were wont to say that Moses had narrowly 
studied the time of ebb and flow of the Red Sea, and 
led his people through it when the sand was bare. 
But the priests of Hieropolis tell this story otherwise. 
They say that when the King of Egypt pursued the 
Jews, Moses struck the waters with his rod, and the 
waters forthwith turned back, so that the Israelites 
passed over dry shod. But the Egyptians having 
ventured on the same dangerous path, were blinded 
by fire from heaven, and the sea having rushed back 
to its bed, they all perished, partly by the thunder- 
bolts, partly in the waters." 

The theory of the celebrated Dr. Brughsch, which 
differs from the two above mentioned, has received 
considerable attention. He maintains that the 
Israelites did not march southward toward Suez, but 



88 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



to the northeast towards Pelusium. It is his opinion 
also that instead of Red Sea, we should read "Weedy 
Sea," a name which was applied not only to the Red 
Sea, but also to the Sirbonian lakes, not far from the 
Mediterranean coast. There is even now a narrow 
strip of land between the lakes and the sea, and 
along this isthmus the Israelites were led. While 
the host of Pharoah, in the pursuit, were over- 
whelmed by a great storm which threw the waves of 
the sea over this narrow strip, causing consternation 
and confusion so that they were drowned or sank 
into the mud of the marshes. I give his own lan- 
guage as to the catastrophe: "After the Hebrews 
crossed on foot the shallows which extend between 
the Mediterranean and the lake of Sirbonis, a high 
tide overtook the Egyptian horsemen and the cap- 
tains of the chariots of war who fiercely pursued 
them. Baffled in their movements by the presence 
of their frightened horsemen, and thrown into disor- 
der by their chariots of war, there happened to these, 
soldiers and charioteers, that which in the course of 
history has sometimes occurred, not only to simple 
travelers, but also to whole armies." The theory of 
Dr. Brughsch, however, is not accepted, principally 
on the ground that it does away with the miraculous 
in the event. 

It is not probable that the exact point of crossing 
will ever be discovered, and while we might very 
much wish to know just where the great host 
marched over, yet the matter is not of so much 
importance whether they crossed a mile or two up or 
that much down the gulf. They crossed over, that is 
sufficient, and very likely here at the Wells of Moses, 
they rested, and refreshed themselves before begin- 



SONG OF TRIUMPH. 



89 



ning their march into the wilderness. It was a glad 
day for the Israelites when they were safe out of the 
hands of their enemies. And we can well imagine 
with what earnestness the song of triumph went up. 
"I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed 
gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown 
into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and 
he is become my salvation ; he is my God, and I will 
prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I 
will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war ; the Lord 




THE DESTRUCTION OF PHARAOH. 



is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he 
cast into the sea." The famiJiar lines of Moore also 
came to my mind : 

Sound the loud timbrel o'er Egypt's dark sea, 
Jehovah has triumphed, his people are free. 
Sing, for the pride of the tyrant is broken, 
His chariot, his horsemen, all splendid and brave, 
7 



90 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



How vain was their boasting, the Lord hath but spoken 
And chariot and horsemen are sunk in the wave. 
Sound the loud timbrel o'er Egypt's dark sea, 
Jehovah has triumphed, his people are free. 

After spending a few hours at the Wells of Moses, 
we mounted our steeds and returned as we came. 
The homeward journey, however, was not so pleasant 
for myself. My donkey was not a sure footed one, 
and the fleet footed Bedouin kept close on his heels 
whacking him with his stick whenever he thought it 
necessary, which was at the rate of about fifty 
whacks an hour. One specially strong thump caused 
the donkey to take a leap, stumble and fall, sending 
me over his head into my open umbrella and sprawl- 
ing on the sand. Someone suggested the Arab 
believed in spreading the gospel. I confess I did not 
believe in it just in that way. The sons of the desert 
were more concerned about the donkey than myself. 
They felt his legs to see if he was hurt, but did not 
crook a finger to help me up. "Him berry good 
donkey," said the driver. No serious injury resulted 
from the fall. The Bedouins smiled, I straightened 
the bows of my umbrella, mounted again and was off 
after the party. We returned to Suez as we came, 
;and spent the remainder of the day in rambling about 
the city. 

From Suez, we went by rail to Ismalia, where we 
liad wretched hotel accommodations. We were glad 
to get away. We passed down the Suez Canal to 
Port Said, from which place we sailed for Jaffa. The 
canal goes through the desert all the way, and it 
seems strange to see the great ships moving slowly 
along through this dreary waste. As we were pass- 
ing along, we saw a mirage in the desert. Far away 



DISAPPOINTMENT. 



91 



to the right of us, there appeared suddenly a great 
sea of water, with islands covered with trees, such as 
the weary and faint traveler sees frequently in trav- 
ersing the sands on the camel, the ship of the desert. 
The vision remained for the space of half an hour 
and then faded away. So men often build castles in 
the air, or frame wondrous visions of beauty before 
them in life, but when they come up to them they 
vanish into air, leaving the heart sad and disap- 
pointed. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
JAFFA AND NEIGHBORHOOD. 



FIRST VIEW. — HISTORY. — LANDING. — BAZARS. — ORANGE 
GROVES. — HOUSE OF SIMON THE TANNER. 

IN the morning we shall see the Judean hills and 
step upon the shores of the earthly Canaan. This 
was the language of our guide, and the reader can 
well imagine how anxious we were for the morning 
to come. The object of our pilgrimage was to go up 
and down the land, and muse over its mysterious 
ruins scattered about on the plains of Syria and on 
the Judean and Galilean hills. Before the sun was 
up we were on deck. At that early hour many of 
the voyagers were astir anxious to get their first 
glimpse of the Holy Land. First there was the dim 
outline of what seemed a low lying coast, back of 
which rise the hills. Then as the sun drives away 
the gray of the morning, we can see houses on the 
shore. I can hardly express my feelings as I looked 
for the first time upon the land made sacred by the 
footsteps of the Son of God, and especially upon the 
day on which is commemorated his resurrection from 
the dead. As the sun rose up over the hills on that 
Easter day, I could not help but think of the rising of 
the Sun of Righteousness whose wings should bring 



JONAH AND THE WHALE. 



93 



healing to the nations. Finally Jaffa, or Joppa, " the 
beautiful," lies before us. Jaffa is the gateway to 
the Holy Land from the south by the sea, and is in 
fact the only sea port of much importance on the 
whole coast, so it has been from the earliest ages. 
Though it is by no means a secure harbor, yet it is 
the best that could be found, and from this circum- 
stance, no doubt, Jaffa sprang into existence, and has 
sustained its position through all the varying fortunes 
of the land. The town is situated on a hillside rising 
up at least a hundred and fifty feet, the houses rising 
up terrace after terrace, giving one the finest view of 
it from the sea. It is also one of the oldest cities in 
the world. Pliny is of the opinion that it existed 
before the flood. It was from this place that the 
prophet Jonah thought to flee from his duty by paying 
his fare in a Phoenician ship bound Cor Tarshish. We 
know how disastrously this affair resulted for Jonah. 
It is the opinion of some that the story about Andro- 
meda and her release by Perseus originated in this 
story of Jonah and the whale. Pliny, after speaking 
of this legend, mentions the fact that Marcus Scaurus 
sent the bones of a great sea-monster from Jaffa to 
Rome, the length of which was forty feet, and in the 
span of its ribs was greater than that of an Indian 
elephant. This gave rise to the idea that these 
remains were those of the great fish mentioned in 
connection with the story of the prophet. But there 
is no use of taking up space in dealing with the 
legendary when there is so much of the real con- 
nected with the history of Jaffa. 

It was to this port that Hiram, King of Tyre, sent 
the cedars which he had cut in the mountains of 
Lebanon, and from here they were dragged over 



94 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



thirty miles to Jerusalem, and even after the captiv- 
ity when the Jews returned to rebuild the temple, 
Ezra informs us that the people' gave "meat and 
drink, and oil unto them of Zidon and Tyre, to bring 
cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa." It 
was here, or at least near the city, that Peter raised 
Dorcas to life, and it was while on the housetop of 
one Simon the tanner that he saw that strange vision 
of the sheet let down from heaven, and by which the 
Lord instructed him that salvation was not intended 
for the Jews only, and whereupon going to Cesarea, 
preached the gospel first to the Gentiles. 

There are very few places that have been so often 
destroyed and again rebuilt as this. Especially was 
this the case during the time of the crusades. In 
1187 it was captured by Saladin, and again by Safad- 
din in 1191. It was retaken by Richard Coeur de 
Lion, and once more in 1196. These disasters almost 
depopulated the place, and in the fifteenth century 
little was left of it. In the seventeenth and 
eighteenth centuries it revived, and has been making 
progress ever since. So early as the second century 
before Christ, quite a number of Jews had settled in 
it, but in some manner having incurred the hatred of 
the populace they were almost exterminated. " The 
men of Jaffa prayed the Jews that dwelt among them 
to go, with their wives and children, into the boats 
which they had prepared as though they had meant 
them no hurt, but when they were gone forth into 
the deep, they drowned no less than two hundred of 
them." In 1799 the place was taken by the French 
under Bonaparte, who foully butchered some 4,000 
Moslems, after he had positively promised them pro- 
tection if they would surrender. For a time it was 



LANDING AT JAFFA. 



95 



under the power of the Eomans, then under the 
Saracens, then again under the Crusaders, then under 
the yoke of the Mamelukes, and finally under the 
Turks in whose possession it still remains. 

We had a pleasant day for landing. Usually it is 
very rough, and often it is impossible to land at all. 
Although the day was bright, the sea was angry and 
lashed the black rocks with the foam of its madness. 
There is no dock, and so the ships anchor about a 
mile from shore. Even before we had anchored 
dozens of boats were seen on their way to the ship to 
carry passengers -and baggage ashore. These boat- 
men are about as pestiferous as the hackmen at- 
railroad stations, or the owners of the donkeys in all 
the cities of the Orient. It is necessary to keep good 
hold on your baggage or they will take it out of your 
hands. Our boatman who was on the alert for us 
soon found us, and it was not long until we were in 
his craft, and rowed to the shore. This gentleman is 
an American, though he has resided in Jaffa for 
twenty or more years. He is still thoroughly Ameri- 
can, for he had at the mast head of his boat the 
American flag. We had no difficulty in passing the 
Custom House, our baggage not even being exam- 
ined. A curious crowd oL all nationalities was 
assembled on the rocky shore, and about the first 
word I heard was " backsheesh." At first, in Egypt, 
the word aroused my sympathy, but I closed my ears 
to it, for it is evident that one-third of the people in 
these eastern lands are beggars. 

Jaffa, "the beautiful!" I might have believed 
that if I had had nothing but the sight of the city 
from the sea, for it really appeared beautiful. It 
must have been quite different when it received its 



96 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



name. It should be called Jaffa, the filthy. I found 
the streets narrow and in a bad condition. The 
people evidently do not believe in sanitary regula- 
tions, for the narrow streets are made the sewers for 
all the filth and garbage of the city. It makes it 
very convenient for the housekeepers, for all they 
need do is open the door and throw their garbage into 
the street, where it is tramped upon by men and 
animals, and heated by the hot sun until the stench 
becomes so great that you involuntarily put your 
hand to your nose. But what care the people for all 
that. They were born in dirt, they were reared in 
dirt, they live in dirt, they eat dirt, and were their 
surroundings, otherwise they would doubtless be 
uncomfortable. 

As there are no vehicles in Jaffa I was curious to 
know how our baggage would get to the hotel. My 
curiosity was soon satisfied. A stout looking man 
was called who had hanging upon his back a board 
two or more feet wide. He stooped over, and three 
of our steamer trunks were placed upon this board 
and he marched off with them as though they were 
toys. He carried them to our stopping place, at least 
three quarters of a mile from the landing, without 
resting. The endurance of these porters is really 
wonderful, but they have trained themselves to carry 
burdens and do it with ease. It was a great relief to 
get out of the filthy streets into the open air. "VVe 
were domiciled in the home of an American gentle- 
man who came here with a colony many years ago. 
He has for many years made it a business to conduct 
parties through the Holy Land, and is well prepared 
in every respect to make tourists comfortable. We 
found his home a very pleasant one. It is situated in 



WALK THROUGH THE TOWN. 



97 



the suburbs, not far from the orange groves, and the 
sweet fragrance of the blossoms is wafted to you. 

But we must take a view of the city. Though we 
are assured there is very little of interest in the place. 
Its chief interest lies in the fact that it is the southern 
gateway to the Holy Land by sea. The city is irreg- 
ularly built of a chalk-looking material, the houses 
are square and flat-roofed. The population is per- 
haps 10,000, a mixed multitude of many nationalities. 
There is very little wood used in the construction of 
the houses, so all through the country you see the 
ceilings arched. The white and peculiar dress of the 
women make them look like ghosts, and would make 
one feel uncomfortable were he to meet one after 
night, 

Let us take a walk down or rather up and down 
one of the principal business street of this seaport 
town. I say up and down, for the streets through 
which I walked was simply a series of hills and 
valleys, while the paving might as well have been 
done by dumping here and there a cart load of stone, 
there seemed to be no pretension to evenness. I 
pick my way amid stones and filth the best I can. 
Here comes a great ungainly camel, having on his 
back a huge bundle of brush, taking up the entire 
street, for there are no sidewalks; then you see a 
large bale of grass moving along, you hardly know 
what the propelling power is, but when it comes 
nearer, you see the slender legs of a donkey under it, 
and his nose and long ears in front of it. Here is the 
shop of a shoemaker, and from the appearance of 
things you would think he was on his last. Here is a 
smithy, next a tin shop. Here is a stall in which dry 
goods are displayed, the whole establishment not 



98 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



being much larger than an American chicken coop 7 
and not near so airy, for the only light comes in from 
the door. The proprietor sits on the floor, has on a 
white turban, and a striped dress. Here are stands 
for oranges, garlic, leeks, carrots, snails, there the 
stall of a butcher with mysterious looking meat hang- 
ing at the doorway, whole carcasses, all dressed with 
the exception of a little bunch of hair on the end of 
the tail, left probably so that the buyer could deter- 
mine what kind of meat he was buying. It certainly 
does not stimulate one's appetite to walk through the 
market in any of the eastern cities, and you almost 
wish you had not ventured into the place. So all 
along the street you see the shops and stands of the 
business people of the city, and the proprietors look 
as happy, and I am certain have more contentment 
than the merchant of New York, whose store covers 
an acre. 

I noticed here in Jaffa as well as in Egypt, that the 
majority of the women, at least such as were 
unveiled, had tattooed marks on their faces. This 
printing of indelible marks on the body seems to 
have been a common practice in oriental lands from 
the earliest ages, and is in vogue even to this day in 
some parts of the world. It is a well known fact 
that almost every sailor has a whole fleet printed on 
his arm. There seems to have been a prohibition 
against such a disfiguring of the body, for in Leviticus 
19: 28, we read, "Ye shall not print any marks on 
you." It may be considered among these people as 
a mark of beauty, but to my mind is anything but 
that. Why it is done I have not been able to learn, 
though our dragoman told me that when children 
were unusually dear to parents they put these marks 



WATER WHEELS. 



99 



upon them to express their affection. If this be so 
then either the practice is being discontinued, or 
parents have lost all affection for their children, for I 
do not remember of seeing one child with these 
unsightly marks upon its face. 

The newer portions of Jaffa do not, by any means, 
partake of the filth of the old. A colony of indus- 
trious Germans settled here a number of years ago, 
and have succeeded in making the suburbs a very 
paradise. The soil is naturally productive, and all 
that is necessary is to work and irrigate it well. The 
orange groves about the city are quite extensive and 
remunerative. The oranges are perhaps not so juicy 
as those of Sidon, but are of a good quality. They 
are grafted on lemon stock, and hence are oval in 
shape. They hang upon the tree for a long time, and 
bear shipment to a great distance. Besides the 
orange there are groves of pomegranates, lemons, 
almonds, peaches, apricots, and many other fruits. 
These, however, all depend for existence upon the 
abundant supply of water found a short distance 
under the soil. Hundreds of water wheels are found 
in these orchards, and their creaking forms part of 
the music of this region. This wheel is a very simple 
and at the same time a very clumsy affair. It con- 
sists of a thick, upright post to which a long pole is 
attached. To this pole an ox or ass is hitched. This 
post carries on its top a huge horizontal wheel, with 
wooden teeth, which work into another wheel set up 
and down. This is connected with a third wheel to 
which is attached an endless rope, having tied upon 
it at intervals either pottery jars or a sort of wooden 
bucket. When these buckets pass over the top of 
the wheel they empty into a trough from which the 



100 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



water runs into channels and is distributed through- 
out the entire orchard. I wondered why pumps were 
not used, and was informed that several had been 
introduced, but they did not prove satisfactory to the 
natives. Besides, when they got out of order there 
was no one to repair them. These people are slow to 
adopt the labor-saving machinery of the great nations 
of the world. They will not accept as a present any 
of our agricultural implements, preferring to use 
what their fathers used. 

To the student of the Bible, perhaps the most inter- 
esting object in the city is the reputed house of 
Simon the tanner, mention of which is made in Acts 
10 : 5, 6 : "And now send men to Joppa, and call for 
one Simon, whose surname is Peter; he lodgeth with 
one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside." 
We engaged a guide to take us to the place. It was 
a tiresome walk. The uneven streets, now ascend- 
ing, then descending; down a flight of steps here 
and up one there; through dark and gloomy pass- 
ages, narrow, crooked lanes, until at last you almost 
wish there was no house of Simon. Finally you 
come upon the place. A portion of the house is used 
as an insignificant Mohammedan mosque. Sure 
enough the house is by the sea side, but no one pre- 
tends to say that the present old structure is the 
house of Simon above mentioned. There is an old 
fig tree in the court yard as also a well. From this 
court a stone stairway leads to the flat roof above, 
from which you have a full view of the sea. If it is 
the place, Simon certainly had a most pleasant resort, 
for in the evening after his hard day's work, he could 
ascend to' this roof and look out upon the sea, watch- 
ing the boats as they come and go, and if he felt 



HOUSE OF SIMON THE TANNER. 



101 



inclined to do so, he could sit there until the stars 
marched out in the sky, or could lie there throughout 
the whole night dreaming of the next day's prospects 
in the hide business. The only thing in favor of this 
being the site of Simon's house is that there is no 
counter evidence to show that it is not. 

There are still some tanneries in Jaffa, but they are 
situated along the shore south of the city, and 
because of the offensive smell connected with them 
were there even in the time when mention is made of 
Simon in Acts. If Simon lived near his tannery, the 
probabilities are that this is not his home which is 
shown you in the city. But still he may have lived 
in a house which formerly stood where the one now 
stands. The foundations of this house look very old, 
while the superstructure has a more modern appear- 
ance. The Mohammedans who have charge of the 
prayer room in the house, say that once when the 
Lord Jesus was there he asked God for a meal ; on 
which a table forthwith came down from heaven. So 
they hold the place sacred. We ascended to the roof 
which is flat, as all the houses are, and has a parapet 
running about it. It is very likely that these para- 
pets are quite ancient, as the Jews, ages before the 
time of Christ, received instruction in regard to the 
matter. " When thou buildest a new house, then 
thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou 
bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall 
from thence." The view from the roof is a fine one. 
The waves of the sea dash almost against the walls of 
the house. In the distance a ship rides at anchor, 
while many smaller craft bob up and down on the 
waves like a cork. Surely it would be a pleasure to 
lie here at night and be lulled to sleep by the music 



102 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



of the waves on the shore. A portion of the wall is 
still standing, and before one of the gates one can see 
even to this day judgment exercised as in the days of 
old. It was formerly customary to hold courts in a 
space outside the gate. The decision of the judge 
was not always just, depending sometimes on the 
standing and influence of the parties, or the number 
of retainers they had. So it was that the widow and 
orphan were often oppressed and deprived of their 
rights. It is probably to this that Job refers when 
he says, 31 : 21, " If I have lifted up my hand against 
the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate." 

About a mile east of the town you are pointed to 
what is supposed to be the site of the house of Dorcas 
or Tabitha, who was known in all that region because 
of her almsdeeds and kindness to the poor. But 
death has no respect for the good and benevolent, 
and so Dorcas died, and was prepared for her burial. 
Peter, who was at Lydda, not far distant, was sent 
for, and restored her to life, Acts 9: 36-39. It is 
impossible to say whether this is the place or not, but 
one thing is certain, if Dorcas lived at the present 
time, she would find any amount of subjects upon 
whom to lavish her charity. The poor are counted 
by multitudes. The rich are few. But there is a 
better time coming for Jaffa, as well as this whole 
land. When that time comes Jaffa may again be 
called The Beautiful. The waves which beat upon 
the rocky shore will sing a hymn of praise to Christ, 
and the fragrance of the orange groves will go up as 
a sweet incense. The people will be no more the 
crouching, begging, filthy people they now are, but 
manly men with Christ in their hearts. Let that 
time come soon, Lord Jesus. 




JUDGMENT AT THE GATE. 



CHAPTER IX. 



BEGINNING OF TENT LIFE. 



PLAINS OF SHARON. — RAMLEH. — LEPERS. — VALLEY OP 
AJALON. — TOMB OF RACHEL. — SOLOMON'S POOLS. 

f\N Monday, the 2nd of April, we began our tent 



life in the Holy Land. We did not expect to 



find many conveniences. Carriage roads are 
few, railroads none, hotels few and very indifferent. 
Things are much to-day as they were in the time of 
Christ. The people move slowly in the matter of 
improvement, and are suspicious of foreigners who 
come there with propositions for changing things. 
Some years ago before the present carriage road to 
Jerusalem was built, a foreign company proposed to 
construct a good road from Jaffa to the Boly City, 
but the Pacha opposed it because he was persuaded 
they wanted to build the road simply to bring cannon 
from the coast to take J erusalem. 

Early in the morning everything was life and activ- 
ity at our home in Jaffa, getting ready for our first 
day's ride. We were ordered to be on horseback by 
six o'clock. The muleteers were packing the tents 
and camp equippage on the backs of horses and 
mules, singing as happily as though they were going 
on a pleasure journey in which there would be no 




WE START INLAND. 



105 



hardships. Our caravan consisted of thirty- two 
horses and mules, and fifteen servants. The horses 
were all good ones with the exception of one or two 
which were veritable ruins and in harmony with 
much of the surroundings. After the selection of 
horses is made we mount and pass on down through 
the market place which at this hour is already 
crowded with miserable beggars, buyers and sellers. 
It was almost impossible to get through the crowded, 
narrow streets. At one place we met a great train of 
camels coming in loaded with boxes of oranges, some 
with large bundles of twigs, there being so little room 
that we could hardly pass. The camel feels as 
though he has the right of way, for he does not 
budge an inch. 

We get into the orange groves as soon as we are 
out of the city. Underneath the trees there are great 
piles of the golden apples ready to be boxed and sent 
to market. We also met many women coming to 
the city carrying baskets of produce of various kinds 
which they expected to dispose of in the market place. 
By the wayside we pass a small fountain, where tra- 
dition says Tabitha is buried. Elsewhere her house 
is pointed out. To the left we were shown a field, 
perhaps half a mile from the sea, which is said to 
have been the harbor of J affa, in the days of Hiram 
and Solomon. It was probably the "Moon Pool" 
where the cedars were landed which were intended 
for the temple. 

At last we emerge into the wide plain of Sharon, 
and beyond it the blue hills of Judea are visible. 
Sharon is derived from a word meaning level, and is 
always applied to the large plain between the moun- 
tains of Ephraim and the sea, bounded by Jaffa to the 

8 



106 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



south, and C arm el on the north. The plain is quite 
fertile and on either side of the road there are long 
stretches of barley and wheat, and occasionally a field 
of pasture. The plain has always been famous for 
its herds, and we read that David appointed one of 
his officers to have care of the herds that fed in Shar : 
on. How often I have read of the plains of Sharon, 
and* now they w T ere before me. I was disappointed. 
It is true, it is a fine stretch of country, not exactly a 
level plain, but in some places gently rolling. It cer- 
tainly must have been much more fertile in the ear- 
lier history of the country, and there were undoubt- 
edly many trees, and much shrubbery which are 
wanting at the present day. It is also an easy 
matter to see that the land is poorly cultivated. 
With proper care it might, once more be made one of 
the garden spots of the world. This plain is 
undoubtedly the largest on the west side of the Jor- 
dan and includes almost the whole country of the 
Philistines. 

I have been making some inquiries as to the rose 
of Sharon, and have endeavored to satisfy myself on 
that point, and if possible to identify it. When we 
entered the plain I saw great numbers of bright 
crimson poppies among the grass, and they looked 
very beautiful indeed, amidst the green. The drago- 
man, who is thoroughly acquainted with the history 
of the land, says that the common opinion among the 
people is that the poppy is the rose of Sharon. There 
is, however, no ground for such belief, and yet I can 
readily see how the opinion might prevail, for it is 
impossible to imagine a more beautiful sight than 
these poppies, especially when you approach them on 
a hillside with the sun shining on them. There is 



THE ROSE OF SHARON. 



107 



much difference of opinion as to this rose of Sharon, 
and if I were to give all the different views there 
would be little space for anything else. Some have 
decided that it is the narcissus which blooms early in 
the spring, others that it is the lilium candidum, or 
white lily. Gesenius believes it to be the meadow 
saffron. Thomson is almost certain it is the marsh- 
mallow, which is found in abundance here, is large, 
double and variegated, and frequently growing into a 
prettily shaped bush. Those who have made later 
researches in the matter have come to the conclusion 
that it is some sort of a bulbous plant. Sir George 
Grove is of the opinion that the rose of Sharon was 
the tall and graceful squill, while some others claim 
that it was the cistus, or rock rose, but this seems to 
be found only among the hills. Tristram thinks it 
was the scarlet anemone. Conder is of the opinion 
that it is the blue iris. Dean Stanley says it might 
have been the large yellow water lily found in some 
parts. Almost every traveler thinks he has found 
the true rose of Sharon. I have not been able to 
agree with them, but hold firmly to the belief that it 
was some variety of the rose. Formerly the rose 
flourished here as well as in Syria, and it is a well 
known fact that the rose has always been the favorite 
flower in all oriental countries, and that for delicacy 
of fragrance and beauty of form and color it is not to 
be equalled by any other flower. It may be possible 
that it will never be decided what the flower was, 
and it is not of much consequence, though we should 
like to know. The deeper researches of the future 
may give us the desired information. 

Somewhere on this plain were the fields in which 
Samson set fire to the corn of the Philistines by 



108 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



means of the foxes. Just how he did this has per- 
plexed many persons. It is not to be presumed that 
Samson could catch three hundred foxes and send 
them into the fields of his enemies. It may help 
some out of the perplexity when we remember that 
foxes were very numerous in those days, and that 
Samson was a judge in Israel, and naturally a man of 
authority. He could order his men to catch the 
foxes which would be an easy matter, and when all 
were ready, distributed about at various points, the 
fire brands fastened to their tails, they naturally 
would run to the standing grain for shelter, which 
would soon be on fire. It is not necessary to believe 
that Samson did all the work himself. We saw at 
different points on the plain great herds of goats, 
cared for by shepherds with their cloak and crook, 
just as they did thousands of years ago. We also 
saw the husbandman plowing, with one hand holding 
to the plow, and in the other the usual long goad, 
with its sharp iron point, used to persuade the oxen 
to move forward at a livelier pace. To kick against 
this goad would be very painful. It is probable that 
reference is made to this goad in Acts 26 : 14. 

I was much surprised to see so few trees and so 
little shrubbery throughout the entire country. The 
hills are almost altogether bare, and consist princi- 
pally of huge rocks, making them look very rugged. 
Undoubtedly these hills were once heavily timbered, 
but during the reign of Titus the trees were all cut 
down; the soil having nothing to sustain it was 
washed into the valleys, leaving only the bare rocks. 
It is probable, too, that many of these hills were 
cultivated to the top, as there are evidences of ter- 
races even at the present time. Upon inquiring of 



ANCIENT TOWN OF LYDDA. 109 

our dragoman why there were so few trees in the 
land, he said that a tax was levied for every tree a 
man had on his place, and in order to get rid of the 
tax they cut them down. This seems very reason- 
able when we remember the oppression and avari- 
ciousness of the Turkish government. The land 
certainly must have been more fertile than now. 

The sheep which we saw grazing on the plain were 
of the breed with broad tails. They looked very 
strange to us. The tails of these sheep were burned 
as a thank-oifering. " The whole rump shall be taken 
off, hard by the backbone, and the priests shall burn 
it upon the altar." The missionary at Nablous told 
us it was customary to roast the sheep whole after 
they had been dressed, with the head downward. 
The fat of the tail acted as basting, running down 
over the carcass and lending to it a rich flavor. 

We made a detour of several miles in order to visit 
Lydda, mentioned in Acts 9 : 42, u And it came^ to 
pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he 
came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda." 
It will also be remembered that when Dorcas died 
her friends sent to Lydda requesting Peter to come 
down to them without delay. There is very little of 
interest connected with this place, though at one 
time it was a place of some importance, being in the 
midst of one of the most fertile plains in the land. 
The only object of interest there now is the church of 
St. George, who is reported to have been born and 
buried there. The church is certainly a fine one, and 
special mention should be made of the arch of the 
south aisle. 

There were here also at one time extensive soap 
factories, but are now idle. The country round about 



110 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



is beautiful. There are great orchards of the olive 
stretching upon every hand, and the country for 
miles about the place is being planted, and so year 
after year this valuable tree will yield its rich har- 
vest. No tree seems to be more closely associated 




THE OLIVE. 



with the history and civilization of man than the 
olive. There are many references to it in Scripture, 
and all are strangely poetical and beautiful. The 
olive is the first tree mentioned by name, as it was 
an olive branch that the dove brought back when the 
waters of the flood began to subside. It is also men- 



THE OLIVE. 



Ill 



tioned in one of the earliest allegories, Judges 9 : 8, 9. 
David employed it as the emblem of prosperity and 
blessing, while some of the prophets use it as the 
symbol of beauty and strength. The olive grows 
freely in nearly all countries bordering on the Medi- 
terranean, but Palestine seems to be specially 
favored with it, for it is very abundant here. So 
abundant was the tree in Judea that it gave the 
name to the Mount of Olives. The cultivation of this 
tree was closely connected with the domestic life of 
the Jews. The oil was used in the coronations of 
their kings. It was also mixed with the offerings. 
It was used for medicine, and for anointing the sick. 
The berries were either shaken or beaten off the tree. 
The flower of the olive was easily shaken off, hence 
the wind was dreaded by the husbandman. It is 
likely Job makes reference to this when he says, 
15 : 33, " He shall shake off his unripe grape as the 
vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive." The 
tree does not grow to a great height. The trunk is 
knotty and gnarled. Its growth is slow, and lives to 
a great age. The wood is quite expensive, and the 
people at the present day use it in making beads, 
boxes, and other ornaments which they sell to 
travelers. 

From Lydda we passed on to Kamleh, a few miles 
distant. This also was at one time a place of impor- 
tance, being on the line of the great caravan route 
between the East and Egypt. We passed through 
the village and rested for the noon by the ruins of a 
large Saracenic building, having a lofty square tower 
from the top of which a fine view is had of the entire 
plain, from the sea to the mountains of Judea and 
Samaria and from Carmel to the deserts of Philistia. 



112 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The enclosure within which the White Tower stands 
is perhaps 300 feet one way and 275 the other. The 
The tower is twenty-six feet square at the base, and 
120 feet high. There is some difference of opinion as 
to the purpose of this tower. Some claim it to be the 
minaret of a mosque. The probabilities are that it is 
the tower of an old church, and there certainly is no 
similarity to any minaret erected by Moslems. 
There are here also some remarkable vaults. The 
largest is over eighty feet in length and more than 
forty wide. What they were used for can only be 
conjectured. Let us ascend the winding stairway of 
126 steps and take a look at the panorama which is 
spread out before us. We are on the platform at the 
top and now look upon a scene of transcendent 
beauty. In fact there is no more lovely landscape 
in all Palestine than that which stretches out all 
about you. Within the circle of your vision what 
wondrous things have occurred. Almost every foot 
of that ground has been trodden by great warriors, 
prophets and kings. As you look upon this varied 
landscape you say, 

"I tread in the paths where the patriarchs trod ; 
I visit the haunts of the prophets of God ; 
The foot of my Savior hath hallowed this sod." 

How clear the air is, how blue the sky. Long lines 
of fleecy clouds go moving by like ships at sea. Far 
away Mt. Oarmel is distinctly visible. To the front 
of us miles and miles away lies the village of Jimzu, 
the Gimzo of the Old Testament (II. Ohron. 28: 18). 
A little to the right on a considerable elevation are 
the ruins of Gezer, once a royal Oanaanitish city on 
the frontier of the tribe of Ephraim, but afterwards 
taken by Pharaoh and given to his son-in-law Solo- 



COMPANY OF LEPERS. 



113 



mon, as his daughter's dowry. To the north of this 
you catch a glimpse of the place where Gath, the 
birthplace of Goliath, stood. This was a strongly 
fortified frontier town, but was early doomed to 
destruction. Here upon the hillside we see a shep- 
herd taking care of his flocks, yonder on the plain a 
husbandman is plowing and almost everywhere there 
are great orchards of olive trees. How surpassingly 
beautiful this plain must have been when the land 
was in all its glory, when the reapers gathered the 
golden grain, and sang with gladsome hearts praises 
to the God who gave the bountiful harvest. Will 
some of this ancient beauty and fertility be restored? 
I think so. The time will certainly come when this 
whole land shall be redeemed from its present deso- 
lation and made into a garden. 

We took lunch in the shadow of one of the old 
walls of the enclosure, and while sitting here our 
attention was directed to an opening in the wall by 
the hoarse cries and screams of a company of lepers. 
They had taken up their abode among these old 
ruins where an opportunity would be aflbrded them 
of begging from the travelers who come this way. 
They were the first we had seen, and a horrid sight it 
was. They held up hands from which joints had 
rotted off. They stretched out arms that were hand- 
less, they turned upon us sightless, swollen eyeballs, 
and at the same time uttered unearthly screams, 
making the scene weird and frightful. They were 
veritable ruins, and here amid these old ruins they 
seemed to be at home, and here they will probably 
tarry until their miserable existence is ended. They 
are usually compelled to live outside of the towns 
and villages. The laws of Moses in regard to the 



114 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



lepers were very stringent, and rightly so, as it was 
intended to confine it to the narrowest limits. They 
are shunned by everyone, and no one will touch 
them, or eat with them, or wear any of their cloth- 
ing. The disease is incurable, and after all these 
centuries the nature of it is not yet fully understood. 

Geikie gives this graphic description of the terrible 
disease: "Some months before the outbreak of lep- 
rosy the victim is languid and cold, shivers and 
becomes feverish by turns. Reddish spots then 
make their appearance on the skin, with dark red 
lumps under them, more or less moveable. In the 
face, particularly, these lumps run into one another, 
till they look like bunches of grapes. The mouth 
and lips swell, the eyes run, and the whole body is 
often tormented with itching. The mucous mem- 
brane begins to corrupt, and lumps form internally 
also. The eyes, throat, tongue,^ mouth, and ears 
become affected. At last the swellings burst, turn 
into dreadful festering sores, and heal up again, but 
only to break out elsewhere. The fingers become 
bent, and the limbs begin to rot away. . . . Other 
diseases, moreover, are brought on by leprosy, and 
yet it is so slowly fatal that the sufferer sometimes 
drags on his wretched life for twenty years, or even 
more, before death relieves him." 

It has generally been looked upon as a direct pun- 
ishment from God, and unless he helped, the poor 
victim was doomed to certain death. It will be 
remembered that when Naaman the Syrian was 
healed of his leprosy by washing in the Jordan as 
directed, he said, u Behold, now I know that there is 
no God in all the earth, but in Israel." So it is only 
God who can cure the leprosy of the soul. 



CAMP AT AJALON. 



115 



After a rest of several hours at Ramleh, we are 
again on the road bound for our tents which are 
pitched in the valley of Ajalon. In a few hours we 
are there, glad to escape the rays of the sun which 
come down most fiercely in the afternoon. In the 
vicinity is Latrun, the supposed birthplace of the 
penitent thief, but I am quite certain that it is also 
the birthplace of many thieves who are not penitent. 
It was in this valley where Joshua routed the 
Canaanitish host, an account of which we have in the 
tenth chapter of Joshua. "Then spake Joshua to the 
Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the 
Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in 
the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ; 
and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the 
sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people 
had avenged themselves upon their enemies. . . . 
So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and 
hasted not to go down about a whole day." We are 
up before daylight the next morning so as to avoid 
as much as possible the heat of the day. We pass 
the sight of ancient Kirjath-Jearim, first mentioned 
as one of the four cities of the Gibeonites. By refer- 
ring to Samuel it will be noticed that the ark had 
been taken by the Philistines, and the men of Beth- 
sheinesh having looked into it, over fifty thousand of 
them were slain. "And they sent messengers to the 
inhabitants of Kirjath-Jearim, saying, the Philistines 
have brought again the ark of the Lord: Come ye 
down, and fetch it up to you." The ark was brought 
up and rested here for a period of twenty years. 

At intervals of a few miles along the road one sees 
a peculiar stone tower. It is said they are watch- 
towers built by the Turkish government, and fur- 



116 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



nished with soldiers to protect the people. These 
soldiers are said to be robbers. Their pay is very 
meagre, and what is lacking in this they make up by 
robbing the poor people who pass that way. 

We also passed through the valley of Elah where 
the Israelites were encamped over against the Philis- 
tines. It was into this valley that the champion of 
the Philistines descended every day to defy Israel. 
His height was nearly ten feet, he was covered with 
a coat of mail, had a helmet of brass on his head, had 
a target of brass between his shoulders, and the spear 
which he carried was like a weaver's beam. We are 
not surprised that Israel could not find one brave 
enough to go out to meet him. David, the shepherd 
lad, volunteered to fight with the giant, selecting as 
his weapons a few smooth stones from the brook. 

In the afternoon we came to the tomb of Rachel. 
How many centuries come crowding down upon us 
as we stand by this tomb. We' think of the far-off 
time when Jacob fled from his brother Esau, of his 
arrival at Padan-aram, of the coming of Rachel to the 
well, of the love that arose in his heart when he first 
saw her, how he rolled away the stone from the well, 
and watered her sheep, and then kissed her and told 
her he was Rebekah's son. We think also of the 
long servitude with which he patiently served for 
her, in which the many years 44 seemed to him but a 
few days, for the love he had to her." The Lord had 
commanded Jacob to go to Bethel, and by the way 
Rachel died, not far from Bethlehem, and there he 
buried her by the wayside, and set a pillar upon her 
grave. In his dying conversation with Joseph more 
than forty years after, he refers most tenderly to that 
sad event. "As for me, when I came from Padan, 



POOLS OF SOLOMON. 



117 



Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way, 
when yet there was but a little way to come unto 
Ephrath; and I buried her there in the way of 
Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem." The narrative 
shows that although she had been dead these many 
years she was as precious to him now as when he 
first loved her seventy years before. True love never 
dies, no, never. The probabilities are that after all 
these centuries her bones are here under this tomb, 
for all nationalities hold it sacred, and have done so 
from the earliest ages, and have declared that here 
rests the wife of Jacob. 

That night our tents were pitched in the valley by 
the Pools of Solomon. We had taken a long and 
tiresome ride through the hot sun, and were glad to 
get to a place of rest. The faithful camp servants 
had a cup of tea ready for us on arrival, and then 
after supper we walked about the pools, and the old 
Saracen fort or Khan near by. Here we saw many 
women with water jars on their heads, some with 
goat skins, coming to a well at one corner of the 
Khan for water. Some of them must have come 
several miles. They seemed happy and cheerful, 
chatting away like sparrows. But what are these 
pools ? Were they built by Solomon, or are they of 
later date? Their excellent preservation indicates 
that they were repaired since the days of the wise 
king. It is very likely that they were built by Solo- 
mon, who exerted his utmost to gain all the comfort 
the world could afford. He says in Ecclesiastes, " I 
made me great works," and these reservoirs may 
have been included in these works. 

The pools are three in number, and here in this 
lonely place fill the mind with wonder. There are 



118 



VXD EE EASTERN SKIES. 



no habitations near, and the imagination pictures the 
valley as it was in the clays of the great king. The 
pools lie between two hills, on a slight descent 
toward the east. They are separated from each other 
by only a small space, and the bottom of the upper 
pool is higher than the top of the one below it, and 
so with the next, The dimensions are as follows : 
The upper pool, 380 feet long, 256 wide, and 25 deep. 
The second, 423 feet long, 2-59 wide, and 39 deep. 
The lower pool is 582 feet long, 207 wide, and 50 
deep. The sides of these pools have been covered 
with cement, but at the present time this is broken. 
A stone stairway leads down at each corner. There 
was but little water in them, the bottom scarcely 
being covered. We did not descend, as there was 
perhaps a foot of mud at the bottom, and the water 
covered with a green scum. We walked about on 
the walls, and looked and wondered. These walls 
have stood for ages, and will stand yet for ages if not 
disturbed, for they are mostly solid rock. The pools 
are connected by channels through which water flows 
from one to the other. When the upper pool is full, 
the water flows into the next, and then into the lower. 

A subterranean fountain or spring supplies these 
pools at least in part. But some surface water must 
have emptied into them during the rainy season. 
The guardian of the old Saracen fort conducted us to 
the secret spring on the hillside. Passing through a 
low doorway we descended a stone steps to two 
apartments below. There are four springs which 
empty into a basin and from there flow through a 
channel into the upper pool. This is probably " the 
spring shut up, the fountain sealed " of which Solo- 
mon speaks. 



SOLOMON'S SUMMER RESORT. 



119 



Tradition says that the origin of these pools is as 
follows : Solomon had negotiated a marriage with a 
daughter of one of the kings of Egypt, and in dis- 
guise went out to this spot to meet the marriage 
procession, and for the first, time see his bride. He 
had with him an attendant whose garments were the 
most beautiful imaginable and whose conduct and 
address was most pleasing. At this place, where 
there was then one spring of water, Solomon ordered 
the attendant to oifer the princess a cup of water, 
asking her to pledge him her friendship. The royal 
lady at once made reply, "I have given my friend- 
ship, and all I am or hope to be, to another one." 
Solomon was so much gratified with the reply . that he 
at once proposed to build the pools, lay out gardens, 
and build country houses in the valley below as a 
memorial of this event. 

It is probable that there was not a more beautiful 
spot in Palestine than the vicinity of these pools, 
especially the gardens in the valley below. These 
pools then were to water this garden, but besides, the 
water was very likely conducted to the Holy City, 
through the aqueduct, in existence now, for use in 
the temple service. Josephus, no doubt, alludes to 
the spot when he says: u There was a certain place, 
about fifty furlongs distant from Jerusalem, which is 
called Etham. Very pleasant it is in gardens, and 
abounding in rivulets of water. Thither did Solomon 
use to go out in the morning, sitting on high in his 
chariot.*' The Etham which is mentioned here is 
very likely the little village of Urtas in the valley. 
It must' have been a delightful summer resort, and 
Solomon must have enjoyed his morning rides to this 
place. He says: U I builded me houses; I planted 



120 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



me vineyards ; I made me gardens and parks ; and I 
planted trees in them, of all kinds of fruits; I made 
me pools of water, to water therefrom the fruit where 
trees were reared." 

The aqueduct leading to Bethlehem is still in a 
good state of preservation, and water flows freely 
through it at present. There is a supposition that a 
number of aqueducts led from these pools, one of 
which reached the fortress or town of Herod on the 
Frank Mountain, to water the gardens there. It may 
be possible that the later Roman Emperors made use 
of these pools, and constructed aqueducts to various 
places, but to Solomon belongs the honor of excavat- 
ing these huge reservoirs, and they will remain for 
centuries to come the relics of his greatness and wis- 
dom. But night comes on, the stars march out in the 
sky as they did when this valley was a paradise. We 
watch the Arabs as they sit in a circle telling their 
tales and adventures. We seek our tents and lie 
down for rest. There are not many sounds in this 
country, so the nights are quiet. Occasionally our 
vigilant Turkish guard wakes up, walks back and 
forth before the tents, and then wraps himself in his 
blanket and goes to sleep. These faithful fellows 
have been known to sleep all night. If anyone 
breaks into the tents and steals he gets his share. 




OLIVE TREE. 



CHAPTER X. 
HEBRON. 



THE BURIAL PLACE OF THE PATRIARCHS. 

OME fifteen miles to the south of the famous 



pools lies the ancient city of Hebron. The place 



^ is of considerable interest because it was the 
scene of some of the most striking events in the lives 
of the old patriarchs. It is probable that at this 
place Joseph and Mary took their first night's rest on 
their way to Egypt. Abraham passed this way on 
his mournful journey to Moriah to sacrifice his 
beloved Isaac, and it is very likely that David led his 
tried warriors this way when he went to take the 
stronghold of the Jebusites on Zion. It is probably 
one of the most ancient cities of the world at the 
present time, and in this respect is the rival of 
Damascus. In Num. 13 : 22, we have the information 
that it was built " seven years before Zoan in Egypt," 
and so on account of its great antiquity, if for nothing 
else, it has a claim upon our attention. At the time 
when Abraham entered Canaan, nearly three thou- 
sand eight hundred years ago, the place was already 
more than two hundred years old. What sacred 
memories come upon one here. In imagination we 
see the tents of the patriarchs in the valleys, and 
become acquainted with their peaceful Jiome life. 




9 



122 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



We hear the bleating of their sheep on the hillsides, 
and the tinkling of the bells on their camels. Even 
now we look upon scenes very much like those in the 
days of Abraham, for manners and customs have 
changed but very little since then. The only differ- 
ence there is may be seen in the condition of the 
land. It certainly was more attractive then than 
now, more fertile, and with its hills covered with 
vineyards and olive orchards, it certainly must have 
been a region of surpassing beauty. It is different 
now. While some of its ancient splendor still 
remains, yet it shows marks of neglect. 

At Hebron, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob spent much 
of their time, and here with their wives they were 
buried, and here in all probability their ashes will 
remain until the last day. Its original name was 
Kirjath-arba, the city of Arba, father of Anak. It 
lies nearly 3,000 feet above the Mediterranean-, and 
back of it the hills rise to a still greater height, from 
which Abraham could see the doomed cities of the 
plain while pleading with God for them, and from 
which he could also see their destruction. It was in 
this vicinity that Abraham received angels at the 
door of his tent, where they were made welcome and 
refreshed. It was near to this place also that Isaac 
" went out to meditate in the field at eventide." The 
sacred writer says that "Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; 
the same is Hebron; and Abraham came to mourn 
for Sarah, and to weep for her." The same custom 
of public mourning is kept up in this region even to 
the present day, and not only is this the case in 
mourning, but the visitor will notice various other 
£ustoms which accord with those mentioned in the 
Bible. Sarah was dead, and very naturally Abraham 



THE PURCHASE OF MA CHPELAH. 



123 



desired a place where he might bury her — a place 
which he might call his own, and where he could bury 
his dead without fear that they would be molested 
by the inhabitants. Hence we have his negotiation 
with Ephron the Hittite, for the field and cave of 
Machpelah, which he might use as a family burial 
place. When Abraham had made known his request 
the people very generously replied : " Hear us, my 
lord; thou art a mighty prince among us; in the 
choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead ; none of us 
shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou 
mayest bury thy dead." The offer appears very gen- 
erous, and yet when we come to understand more 
fully the customs of oriental nations we will see that 
it was not so generous after all, but simply a form of 
politeness. They had generously offered to allow 
him to bury in their sepulchres, but he knew what 
that meant. It was simply a preliminary movement 
to the making of a keen bargain. He had set his 
heart upon the Cave of Machpelah, and while 
acknowledging their politeness, he wanted to open 
negotiations for the purchase of the place. Here 
oriental generosity broke out again. Sell it! No. 
We will give it to him. He is a stranger in the land, 
and a great man ; far be it from us to sell it to him. 
But Abraham knew, too, what that meant. 

The patriarch wanted a permanent burial place, he 
wanted a title to the land, and for that title he was 
willing to pay all it was worth. Ephron offered it to 
him as a gift, but we need not suppose that he was in 
earnest, but expected in that manner to open nego- 
tiation with the patriarch for the land. It seems to 
have been a custom in that day, as it is even now, 
to make presents with the expectation of receiving in 



124 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



return the full value, and even more, for the present. 
An instance of this kind came under my own obser- 
vation. At almost all the places where we camped 
the natives came out with their antiquities and wares 
for sale. At one place a generous-hearted Arab 
placed into my hands a number of old coins, telling 
me by signs, to put them in my pocket, they were a 
present. He knew quite well that I would not 
accept them as a present, but having them in my 
possession would open the way for the sale of them. 
But the sale did not take place. I inquired what he 
wanted for them, when he at once replied, a franc 
apiece. So Abraham was shrewd enough to see 
through Ephron's offer, and at once desired to know 
of him what he wanted for the possession. The 
price was at once named, not a very small one, 
either, and accepted. 

But the mere transaction of the business was not 
enough. It was necessary to enter into details and 
specifications in the transfer of the cave, so that there 
could be no trouble afterward. The property was 
conveyed to him and everything made sure. All 
that was on it was specified, as we learn from Genesis 
23: 17, "And the field of Ephron, which was in 
Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and 
the cave which was therein, and all the trees that 
were in the field, that were in all the borders round 
about were made sure unto Abraham for possession." 
"There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife; 
there they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife ; and 
there I buried Leah." So speaks the dying Jacob. 

Sarah was the first to occupy the cave, then Abra- 
ham was laid by her side; then later Isaac and his 
wife Rebekah, then Leah ; and finally the embalmed 



MOSQUE AT HEBRON. 



125 



body of Jacob was carried up from Egypt and placed 
by his kindred. Are these bodies still there ? I have 
not the least doubt ; and it may be some day when 
Moslem fanaticism is not so strong these tombs will 
be examined, and perhaps the mummies of those 
ancient worthies will be brought forth. Though I 
hope they will never be removed from their ancient 
resting place. So far as the body of Jacob is con- 
cerned we are informed that he was embalmed, and 
it may be so were the bodies of the others. When 
Stephen made his defense he said, "Jacob went 
down into Egypt, and he died, himself, and our 
fathers; and they were carried over into Shechem, 
and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a 
price, in silver, of the sons of Hamor in Shechem." 
But the narrative in Genesis informs us that the 
burial place purchased by Abraham was in Hebron. 
It may be in the excitement of the hour Stephen 
confused the fact of Joseph's purchase of a sepulchre 
at Shechem with the transaction of Abraham at 
Hebron. Or it may have been by the carelessness of 
some transcriber. 

The great Mosque of Abraham, the chief object of 
interest in Hebron, is built over the cave of Machpe- 
lah. The mosque is quadrangular, built of gray 
stone, and is 198 feet long, 115 wide, and 50 high. 
The place is jealously guarded, and no one but 
Moslems are allowed to enter. But few persons not 
of the faith have ever been allowed to come within 
the enclosure, while no one has ever been permitted 
to enter the cave. In fact the inhabitants of Hebron 
are not particularly anxious to have Christians come 
to their city. On the least provocation the} r will 
curse. It is said they curse the fathers, mothers and 



/ 



126 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



grandfathers of such as gain their displeasure. This 
seems to be a custom with most of the orientals. We 
find something similar to this in the imprecation of 
David on Joab for the killing of Abner. u Let the 
dead man's blood rest on the head of Joab, and on all 
his father's house, and let there not fail from the 
house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a 
leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on a 
sword, or that lacketh bread." 

The traveler Monro gives a description of the 
mosque as follows: "The mosque is a square build- 
ing, with little external decoration. Behind it is a 
small cupola, with eight or ten windows, beneath 
which- is the tomb of Esau. Ascending from the 
street at the corner of the mosque, you pass through 
an arched way, by a flight of steps, to a wide plat- 
form, at the end of which is another short ascent. To 
the left is the court, out of which, to . the left again, 
you enter the mosque. The dimensions within are 
about forty paces hy twenty-five. Immediately on 
the right of the door is the tomb of Sarah, and beyond 
is that of Abraham, having a passage between them 
into the court. Corresponding to these, on the oppo- 
site side of the mosque, are the tombs of Isaac and 
Rebekah ; and behind them is a recess for prayer, 
and a pulpit. These tombs resemble small huts, 
with a window on each side, and folding doors in 
front, the lower parts of which are of wood and the 
upper of iron, or of bronze, plated. Within each of 
these is an imitation of the sarcophagus which lies in 
the cave below the mosque, and which no one is 
allowed to enter. Those seen above resemble coffins, 
with pyramidal tops, and are covered with green silk, 
lettered with verses from the Koran. The doors of 



ABRAHAM'S OAK. 



127 



these tombs are left constantly open, but no one 
enters those of the women — at least men do not. In 
the mosque is a baldachin, supported by four col- 
umns, over an octagonal figure of black and white 
marble inlaid, around a small hole in the foremost, 
through which passes a cord from the top of the can- 
opy to a lamp which is kept constantly burning in 
the cave of Machpelah, where the actual sarcophagi 
rest. At the upper end of the court is the chief 
place of prayer, and on the opposite of the mosque 
are two large tombs, where are deposited the two 
larger sarcophagi of Jacob and Leah." 

In a valley toward the west, perhaps a mile from 
Hebron, stands the famous Abraham's Oak, where the 
patriarch so often pitched his tent. You are told this 
is the veritable oak under which he sat, but it is hard 
to believe this, and yet one can not help but believe 
that in this vicinity somewhere "Abram removed his 
tent, and came and dwelt in the plain (or oak) of 
Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar 
unto the Lord." Elsewhere we read : "And the Lord 
appeared unto him in the plains (or oak) of Mamre; 
and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. 
And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three 
men stood by him ; and when he saw them, he ran to 
meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself 
toward the ground." The oak, which may be a 
descendant of the one under which the patriarch sat, 
is a large one measuring some twenty-nine feet in 
circumference. Bishop Arculfus says that in the 
year 700 he saw the stump of Abraham's Oak. He 
also quotes Jerome as saying that this oak had stood 
there from the beginning of the world. In the year 
1322 Mandeville found here a dry tree without any 



128 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



leaves, and he repeats the same story of its antiquity. 
Here in the wide spreading shadow of an oak Abra- 
ham entertained the angels. Thomas Fuller, in his 
quaint way, says: "The covert of the tree was the 
dining-room; probably the ground the board; Abra- 
ham the caterer; Sarah the cook; a welcome their 
cheer; angels their guests; and the last promise of 
the birth of Isaac their pay for the entertainment." 
From the oak they went to a neighboring hill from 
which the patriarch sees the cities of the plain, and is 
told of their coming awful doom. And it was here 
that he pleaded with God to spare the cities. 

Let us sit down under the shade of this oak and 
look up and down the valley and unroll the scroll of 
the past. What wondrous things occurred here, 
what friendly meetings in that dim past. After long 
estrangement brethren met here to renew friendship. 
Here at the tomb of their common father, Isaac and 
Ishmael met. Here when Isaac died Esau and Jacob 
anet to bury him; and here, too, somewhere in this 
valley came the thrilling tidings to the bereaved and 
feeble Jacob, "Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor 
over all the land of Egypt." It is hardly possible to 
find a spot in this wide world that has looked upon 
sweeter scenes than these, which rose above envy, 
and were unmoved by circumstances. From here 
the sons of Jacob went on a three days' journey to 
Shechem to find their father's flock, for in this region 
J acob had a parcel of ground which he bought of the 
children of Hamor. 

The valley in which Hebron is situated is in all 
probability the valley of Eschol, or valley of grapes, 
to which the spies came and from whence they bore 
back between them a cluster of its fruit. In that 



VINEYARDS AND WINE PRESS. 129 

early day the grape was extensively cultivated, and 
much wine was made. At the present time there are 
extensive vineyards in this region, but as the religion 
of the Moslems does not permit them to drink wine, 
less is made than formerly. Bat many of the grapes 
are made into raisins, and so find their way into the 
markets. The vines are planted in rows, are bent 
over, and when four or five feet long are cut off, then 
tied to a stake so that the shoots and clusters may 
not touch the soil. You see in these vineyards the 
rude stone towers. for the "keepers of the vineyards." 
Not only are grapes plentiful in this valley, but other 
fruit such as pomegranates, figs, apricots and quinces 
are abundant. But are the bunches of grapes so 
large that it was necessary for the spies to bear one 
between them on a staff? It is probable that the 
spies carried it thus to keep it uninjured, besides the 
bunches are often found so large that one would be a 
burden were it carried a great distance. The clusters 
frequently measure eighteen or twenty inches. 

We were fortunate in seeing one of the old rock- 
hewn wine presses, and it seems they are about the 
most satisfactory relics we have of Israel before the 
captivity. These presses generally consisted of two 
vats, one lower than the other. The grapes were 
gathered in baskets, carried to the press, and thrown 
in the upper vat. The mere pressure of the grapes 
caused some of the juice to run through into the 
lower. This seems to have been preserved from the 
rest, and may be the " sweet wine " spoken of. The 
first few drops were generally presented to the Lord, 
as the first fruits of the vintage. The time of grape 
gathering was a joyous occasion; the grapes were 
trodden by barefooted men who shouted and sang at 



130 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



their work. Their legs and clothing were stained 
with the juice. In Isaiah we have an indirect refer- 
ence to this in the terrible picture of hirn who is 
mighty to save coming back from the destruction of 
his enemies. When the question is asked by the 
prophet, "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, 
and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine- 
fat ? " The answer is, " I have trodden the wine 
press alone; for I will tread them in mine anger, and 
trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be 
sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my 
raiment." 

The ancient Hebrews made out of the grape a sort 
of syrup, which w r as called honey, so that it was diffi- 
cult sometimes to distinguish between this and the 
honey made by bees. Geikie's language on wine is 
worthy perusal: "It was the custom in ancient 
times, as it still is in the East, to mix spices and other 
ingredients with wine, to give it a special flavor, or 
make it stronger, or the reverse. This is the strong- 
drink of which Isaiah speaks, and the ' spiced wine ' 
of the Canticles, and it is likewise the wine which 
Wisdom mingled, and to which she invites the wise; 
but it is also that ' mixed wine ' to look on which, the 
book of Proverbs tells us, is to bring on oneself woe ; 
and it is to this that the awful verse refers, ' In the 
hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the w T ine is red ; 
it is full of mixture.' Another kind of wine, gener- 
ally translated vinegar, in our version, also in the 
Revised Version, is the common sour wine used by 
the poor. It was this into which Ruth was to dip her 
bread as she sat beside the reapers. In all probabil- 
ity, moreover, it was this which was offered to our 
Savior on the cross, since it was part of the daily 



INTERESTING VALIEY. 



131 



allowance of a Roman soldier, and was given, not in 
derision, but in pity, to quench his thirst or dull his 
agony, the soldiers having more sympathy with him 
than the priests of the Jewish people." 

This whole region is intensely interesting, as it 
carries us back to the most ancient civilization of the 
land, and brings to the present the customs and daily 
life of those far off ages. 



CHAPTER XL 



BETHLEHEM. 



JOURNEY TOWARD IT. — ITS HISTORY. — CHURCH OF THE 
NATIVITY. — INDUSTRY OF THE PEOPLE. — WELL 
OF DAVID. — ASSOCIATIONS. 

^T^HE sun was just coming up over the mountains 



of Moab as we mounted our horses for our jour- 



ney to Bethlehem. The morning was delightful, 
the air clear and refreshing, and ourselves in good 
spirits, for we were going to the place of Christ's 
nativity. The route from the Pools of Solomon lay 
along the old aqueduct leading to Bethlehem. This 
aqueduct is still in a good state and shows consider- 
able engineering skill. It seemed to me the water 
must certainly be going up hill, for we seemed to be 
ascending all the way. Here and there openings had 
been made in the pipe to allow the shepherds to get 
water for their flocks. It is more than likely that 
this aqueduct was built by one of the Roman govern- 
ors, for it does not have the appearance of dating 
back to the days of Solomon. 

The road leading up to Bethlehem is certainly not 
an easy one to travel, in fact there are few roads that 
can be called such in the whole land. This was 
nothing more than a bridle path alongside of the hill 
on which we had to go single file. 




ANCIENT ROADS. 



133 



Those who are inquisitive might ask, were there no 
better roads than these in the days when the kings 
ruled here ? It is my opinion there were, for we read 
of roads in the Old Testament which were called the 
"King's Highway." Thus when Moses brought 
Israel up he asked permission of the King of Edom 
to pass through his country, saying : " Let us pass, I 
pray thee, through thy country; we will not pass 
through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither 
will we drink of the water of the wells ; we will go 
by the king's highway ; we will not turn to the right 
hand nor to the left, until we have passed thy 
borders." Josephus mentions some very ancient 
roads in this country paved with basalt and black 
stones, and supposed to date back to the days of 
Solomon. 

The Komans were great road builders, and when 
they had possession of the land they no doubt built 
splendid roads to all the principal places outside of 
Jerusalem. But even earlier than this there were 
good roads. The earliest inhabitants of Palestine 
had many chariots. Jabin could count 900 chariots 
in his day. The Hebrews at that time had none. 
Their soldiery were infantry, and this helps us to 
understand the language of one of the Kings of 
Damascus when he spoke of the Hebrew gods, they 
" are gods of the mountain, and therefore they are 
stronger than we ; but let us fight against them in the 
plains, and surely we shall be stronger than they." 
In the plain they could make use of their iron char- 
iots of which the Hebrews had none. It is said that 
Solomon had 1,400 chariots. There certainly must 
have been some good roads in his day or these would 
have been of no use. These chariots would have 



134 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



been of little avail in the hilly country about Jerusa- 
lem in meeting an enemy. In Judges we read, u The 
Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabi- 
tants of the mountain; but could not drive out the 
inhabitants of the valley because they had chariots of 
iron." At the present time there are few passable 
roads in the land, but I have no doubt when the 
stupid government will once fall in with the ideas of 
the civilized nations of the world, they will build 
roads so that one can pass from one end of the land 
to the other with perfect ease. 

With these reflections about the roads we come in 
sight of Bethlehem on the hills. Here in a field near 
our pathway we saw a genuine Arab fight. They 
seemed to be quarreling about some of their sheep 
and goats. It was first a war with the mouth, then 
they laid hold, and having clinched, they looked 
fiercely at each other, keeping up an incessant howl- 
ing. A mediator stepped in and finally succeeded in 
separating them. There were no blows, but I was 
told their words are of so much force that blows are 
unnecessary. We saw many quarrels in our journey, 
but in not even a single instance did they come to 
blows. Not far from the town we saw shepherds keep- 
ing watch over their flocks, which pastured on the 
hillsides. We were at once reminded of the youthful 
David who kept his father's sheep on these very hills, 
and where he fearlessly slew the lion and the bear 
who came out to rob the flock. These shepherds 
were of peculiar interest to me, for were they not 
first chosen to hear the tidings of a Savior's birth? 
What a contrast between the vision of those favored 
shepherds and the present condition of the nations, 
convulsed with war and hatred. 



136 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



And is this Bethlehem upon which my eyes rest ? 
Is this the place where our Lord was born, and where 
the shepherds heard the song of the angels ? "And 
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the 
heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God 
in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward 
men." Yes, this is Bethlehem. Not the same 
houses, certainly, which stood here wlien Christ was 
born, but the very site upon which the old town 
stood. To me this is the most sacred place in all the 
land, and in all the earth, for in this humble place 
occurred the most important event recorded in the 
history of the world. Beautiful Bethlehem ! So we 
might have exclaimed when Ruth went out to glean 
in the fields of Boaz, or when David the shepherd 
boy led his father's sheep out to graze upon these 
hills. But to-day all that there is beautiful about the 
place is its location upon the hillside. I would most 
certainly have had a better opinion of Bethlehem, 
Jerusalem and Nazareth, if I had never seen them. 
A walk through them has robbed them of much 
which poetry and the imagination, together with 
great facts in history, have thrown around them. It 
really takes all the romance out of a place when you 
walk through its streets and find them as filthy as a 
barnyard. This is notably the case with Bethlehem. 
Of all the places I visited, this is the filthiest. Cer- 
tainly the old Bethlehemites would not have toler- 
ated anything of the kind. 

Bethlehem is mentioned early in the Bible, but. 
nothing of importance is connected with its earliest 
history. It remained for a long time a small and 
unimportant place. It does not even appear among 
the villages set apart to Judah by Joshua. The first 



BOAZ AND RUTH. 



137 



pleasant thing that took place in its vicinity is the 
romantic affair between Boaz and Ruth. I could not 
help but think of this when the field of Boaz was 
pointed out to me. My mind at once went back to 
that memorable morning when the landed proprietor 
left the village and went out to the workmen in the 
field, and saw there the beautiful form and face of a 
strange maiden gleaning after the reapers. The 
result is well known, for human hearts and affections 
are the same in all ages and places. But let me give 
a few lines from the Bible account of the transaction. 
"And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said 
unxo the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they 
answered him, The Lord bless thee. Then said Boaz 
unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose 
damsel is this? And the servant that was set over 
the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish 
damsel that came back with Naomi out of the coun- 
try of Moab. And she said, I pray you, let me 
glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. 
Then said Boaz unto Ruth, hearest thou not my 
daughter ? Go not to glean in another field, neither 
go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens." 
See also how kind Boaz was. He not only directed 
his servants to allow her to glean when she pleased, 
but also commanded that they " let fall some of the 
handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she 
may glean them." 

The next important event we find in the history of 
this place is the birth of David. Here amid these 
rural scenes lying between the Arab robbers to the 
east and the war-like Philistines on the west, he was 
trained for his great exploits as a warrior, and here 

amid these hills and valleys, surrounded by the most 
10 



138 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



charming scenery, hearing only the music of nature, 
he drank in those inspirations which afterward found 
vent in the sublime poetry of the Psalms. But the 
greatest event in the history of the town was the 
birth of " great David's greater Son," the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

The houses of Bethlehem are built of a whitish 
limestone and appear to be quite substantial. The 
roofs are flat, some of them having a peculiar looking 
dome. The population is 5,000 or more. They are 
mostly Greek and Latin Christians, there being very 
few Jews and Mohammedans. They seem to be 
quite industrious, perhaps more so than in any other 
town in Palestine. If they would appoint a health 
committee, or rather a street cleaning committee, 
whose duty it would be to cleanse the place, it would 
make one of the most pleasant villages of the land. 
But when, in your saunterings through the town, you 
must turn up your trousers and leap over pools that 
have not come down from the skies, and skirt heaps 
of garbage which even the dog scavengers are not 
able to do away with, and all this at the parlor doors 
of the Bethlehemites, in sight while they eat their 
meals, and present with its smell when not seen, you 
do not feel much like purchasing a residence in this 
ancient town. 

The main street is mostly occupied by workshops, 
and it is a pleasant sound which comes from them as 
you pass along. Let us look into this shop. There 
are perhaps a dozen men sitting on the floor engaged 
in making small articles out of the asphalt from the 
Dead Sea. At the next shop they are engaged in 
making beads. In another, fancy articles are carved 
out of olive|wood; in still another, they are cutting 



BAZARS AND WORKSHOPS. 



139 



beautiful medallions out of the mother-of-pearl shell 
which is brought from the Red Sea. It is said there 
are at least 500 persons engaged in these various 
industries. When you come to where the bazars or 
stores are you are besieged by an army of men who 
point out their place of business, and give you to 
understand that it is the "cheapest place" in town. 
They ask great prices, and yet you buy for about one- 
half. If they ask ten francs for a certain article, and 
some unsuspecting person pays it without quibbling, 
they feel bad, and say they have lost five francs, 
because they could have just as easily realized fifteen 
francs had they asked it. 

Geikie has given a graphic description of some of 
the houses, their occupants and occupation. "The 
buildings show that no masons could be better than 
the Bethlehemites, though there are not many good 
houses except in the front street, and even this has 
its better and worse end. Inside, some are, of course, 
very superior to others, and it is the same with the 
workshops. Here is one, where men and women are 
busy making beads for rosaries. All the men are on 
the ground, cross-legged ; the women on low pieces of 
wood, their bare feet visible outside their dress. Mat 
baskets, or large wooden bowls, of beads cut from 
olive rods, are on the ground ; one man saws a small 
piece of wood fixed upright in a vice, another turns 
the beads at a most primitive lathe, driven by a cord 
stretched on a bent fiddle-stick arrangement. The 
work-bench consists of some beams on the ground, 
but one man has a vice fixed in the earth, and is filing 
something vigorously; the women have fiddle-bows 
of their own, but the string is a fine saw to cut the 
beads apart." 



140 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The finest structure in Bethlehem is the Church of 
the Nativity, built over the supposed birthplace of 
Christ, by Helena, the mother of Constantine, about 
A. D. 327. It was built upon the site of a Khan or 
inn, and as this was the only inn the village could 
boast of, it was of course supposed to be near the 
place where Jesus was born. Luke expressly states 
that he was not born in the inn, because there was 
no room there, and that he was born in the stable, for 
he was laid in the manger. Whether this stable was 
one connected with the inn we have no means of 
knowing, nor is it of much importance. The great 
fact remains that Christ was born somewhere in 
Bethlehem. That is quite enough. It may be possi- 
ble the exact place is under this Church of the 
Nativity. The church is a fine one. It has double 
aisles, and the roof is supported by forty handsome 
columns of pink marble, with Corinthian capitals of 
white marble. 

The church is the common property of all sects, 
Roman Catholics, Greeks and Armenians. In one 
portion of the building you see on the walls frightful 
pictures of St. George and the Dragon. In the center 
your attention is attracted by a richly gilded screen 
of the Greek Church, with carved oak work. 

It is under the screen and altar of the Greek 
Church that the grotto of the Nativity is located. A 
monk leads you down a great many steps to the 
grotto, and you wonder how it was possible for the 
ancient Bethlehemites to use this subterranean cave 
as a stable. It would certainly have been a difficult 
matter for cows and donkeys to go down these steps 
to their shelter. But the place is there, the manger 
is pointed out to you, and you are expected to believe 



THE GROTTO OF THE NATIVITY. 



141 



it. The monk who conducted us through the build- 
ing declared that there was nothing more sure in 
Palestine than that this was the exact place where 
Christ was born. I wish I could have believed it. I 
wish I could have believed that the niche there was 
the manger in which the infant Jesus rested. And 
yet here millions of pilgrims have come and shed 
their tears and have gone away happier and better 
because they have looked upon the place of the 
birth of the world's Redeemer. There is a silver star 
in the niche, and a Latin inscription informs you, 
" Here is where Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin 
Mary." 

It is a universally accepted fact that Christ was 
born in a cave, and there are not many, in the face of 
testimony, who are willing to deny that this is the 
place. So far back as the middle of the second cen- 
tury, Justin Martyr, who lived some forty years 
after the death of St. John, and who was born at 
Nablous, speaks of the Savior as being "born in a 
certain cave very close to the village." In the begin- 
ning of the third century Origen gives testimony to 
the fact that even the heathen recognized this cave as 
the birthplace of Christ. The fact that so soon after 
this the Church of St. Helena was built over the spot 
would be strong testimony that this is the true spot 
of the nativity. And yet there is nothing certain. 
Under the roof of the same building you are shown 
what the Latin church claims to be the true manger ; 
you also see the spot where the wise men worshiped 
the infant, also the spot where the Holy Family were 
commanded to take their flight into Egypt. The 
walls of the grotto were lined with figured satin, here 
and there hung a picture, and though there were 



142 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



many lamps suspended from the ceiling, there was 
not much light. A Turkish soldier stood guard in 
the cave, because a number of years ago the place 
was robbed of its silver ornaments. A Turkish 
soldier standing guard in the supposed birthplace of 
the world's Redeemer seemed rather odd to me. 

Near the cave of the Nativity is the study of 
Jerome. It is said that in his declining years he 
heard the peals of the judgment trumpet ringing in 
his ears continually. It was his desire to dwell as 
near as possible to the place where Christ was born, 
and so selected as his study this cave only a few feet 
from where tradition saj^s Christ was born. This fact 
is stated as evidence that the traditional place is the 
true one. In this cave he spent many years in trans- 
lating the Scriptures, giving us what is known as the 
Vulgate, which is the version used by the Latin 
church at the present time. It was in this cave, too, 
where that sad event took place — his last communion 
and death, which has been transferred to canvas in 
immortal colors by the famous artist, Domenichino. 

In a Greek monastery near by we had another 
instance of the credulity of these people. We 
descended a flight of steps into a cave over which an 
old lady seemed to preside. It is what is known as 
the milk grotto. In this cave while the Christ child 
was nursing, a drop of the Virgin's milk fell upon 
the floor. This drop of milk transferred a wonderful 
influence to the stone of which the cave is composed. 
The rock is pulverized and made into little round 
cakes, and a very little of this stone mixed with 
water and swallowed has the effect of increasing the 
milk of women, and even animals. The women of 
this region have firm faith in this miracle working 



LACK OF REVERENCE. 



143 



cave and come here to buy the stone. We each pur- 
chased a cake. Even the bachelors of the party were 
anxious to carry one home with them. We did not 
inquire what they intended to do with their treasure, 
but some one suggested that perhaps they were going 
into the dairy business on their return. Is it any 
wonder that one grows sceptical about almost every- 
thing you see when such monkish wonders are set 
forth as actual facts. Of course one must exercise 
judgment in these matters. You see places that are 
precisely what they are represented to be, and you 
can hardly express a doubt about them, but there are 
others which bear upon their face the stamp of pious 
fraud and you turn from them in disgust. 

One thing strikes you forcibly, and that is the lack 
of reverence- in these sacred places. The churches 
are thronged with pilgrims whose actions are any- 
thing but becoming in places of worship, while impu- 
dent hawkers of beads and trinkets obtrude their 
wares upon you in the place where you feel like 
taking the shoes from your feet because of the sacred- 
ness of the ground on which you stand. 

At the eastern entrance of the city is an ancient 
well, which tradition has marked as the very spring 
from which the three mighty men drew the water to 
satisfy the longing of King David when he was in the 
cave of Adullam, and when the Philistines were 
encamped in the valley of Rephaim, and held even 
Bethlehem itself." "And David longed, and said, 
Oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the 
well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! And the 
three mighty men brake through the host of the 
Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethle- 
hem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought 



144 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



it to David." II. Sam. 23 : 15-16. If the water was 
as bad in this region as it is at the present, I do not 
wonder that he longed for a cool and refreshing drink 
from the deep well at Bethlehem, where he had so 
often slaked his thirst when a boy. How often while 
under these burning eastern skies I longed for a cool- 
ing drink from a certain spring in my native land, 
where many a time in the far past, I quenched my 
thirst and saw in the water a childish face as I bent 
over. 

About a mile east of the town you see the " Plain 
of the Shepherds." Here there is a grotto, over 
which Helena is said to have built a small chapel. 
There are some olive trees about it, and one has a 
wide view of extensive fields. A fine slope for graz- 
ing, and in all probability this is the place where the 
shepherds heard the tidings of great joy. Yery 
likely on these same slopes Ruth, the ancestress of 
the Savior, gleaned in the field of Boaz, and here, 
too, no doubt, the youthful David watched his flocks. 
Around these fields there will always linger sweet 
memories. You look upon them and by some subtle 
power are drawn to them so that you are loth to 
leave. While you look, the words of Mrs. Hemans 
ring in your ears : 

"O lovely voices of the sky, 

That hymned the Savior's birth ! 
Are ye not singing still on high, 

Ye that sang, ' Peace on earth ? ' 
To us yet speak the strains, 

Wherewith, in days gone by, 
Ye blessed Syrian swains, 

O voices of the sky ! 

O clear and shining light, whose beams 

That hour heaven's glory shed 
Around the palms, and o'er the streams, 

And on the shepherd's head ; 



THE HOLY NIGHT. 



Be near through life and death, 
As in that holiest night 

Of hope, and joy, and faith, 
clear and shining light ! 




FIELD OF THE SHEPHERDS. 



star which led to him, whose love 

Brought down man's ransom free ; 
Where art thou?— 'midst the hosts above, 

May we still gaze on thee? — 
In heaven thou art not set ; 

Thy rays earth might not dim ; — 
Send them to guide us yet ! 

O star which led to him ! 



146 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



One cannot help but think of the mighty influences 
that have gone forth from here to bless the world. 
A poor, despised village, and yet from it emanated the 
Redeemer of the world. Dr. Robinson says: "What 
a mighty influence for good has gone forth from this 
little spot upon the human race both for time and 
eternity! It is impossible to approach the place 
without a feeling of deep emotion, springing out of 
these high and holy associations. The legends and 
puerilities of monastic tradition may safely be disre- 
garded; it is enough to know that this is Bethlehem, 
where Jesus the Redeemer was born. Generation 
after generation has indeed since that time .passed 
away, and these places now know them no more. 
For eighteen hundred seasons the earth has renewed 
her carpet of verdure, and seen it again decay. Yet 
the skies and the fields, the rocks and the hills and 
the valleys around, remain unchanged, and are still 
the same as when the glory of the Lord shone about 
the shepherds, and a song of a multitude of the 
heavenly host resound among the hills, proclaiming 
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will to men." I will quote here also an old 
hymn of the Nativity. 

"Night is set in, the stars their lamps are raising: 

Each dewy flower has closed its perfumed chalice; 
O'er the blue hills the city lights are Mazing, 

And the gay cressets gleam in cot and palace. 
Down the green sheep tracks rest the flocks enfolden, 

Round their still cotes the hinds their fires are waking, 
While in the homes of Bethlehem lie holden 

Eyes all unconscious of the mystery breaking. 

Oh, wonder of all wonders, 
The hinds their watch are keeping, 

A babe is in the manger- 
Christ Jesus there is sleeping; 



LAST SIGHT OF BETHLEHEM. 



147 



The oxen round him lowing, 
The ass his forehead bowing, 

The maiden mother kneeling, 
While night is o'er them stealing. 



Soon shall a fire flood kindle up the horizon, 
Paling the night stars in their fairy shining, 

Paling the broad sun at his first uprising. 
Paling the bright moon at his red declining. 

Hark, through the opened lattice of heaven's portals 

Soundeth — "To God be glory in the highest, 
Peace be on earth; good will to loving mortals." 

Peace to thee, Christian, while with joy thou criest. 



Oh, wonder of all wonders, 
The hinds their watch are keeping, 

A babe is in the manger- 
Christ Jesus there is sleeping. 



But we must leave Bethlehem. Time -wears on, 
and there remains yet much of the land to be seen. 
As we pass down over the Field of the Shepherds I 
think again of that wondrous night nearly twenty 
centuries ago, and as the village disappears as we go 
over the hills, I say, Farewell, Bethlehem of Judah ! 
Though your ancient glory has departed, yet I love 
thee, for in thee was born the world's Redeemer. 



CHAPTER XII. 



JOURNEY TO THE DEAD SEA. 

MAR SABA. — TOMB OF MOSES. — THE DEAD SEA. 

T Bethlehem we were put under the guidance of 



the sheikh of the Dead Sea district, a tall, fierce 



looking Bedouin. We were going through the 
most dangerous as well as most desolate region in the 
whole of Palestine, and it was necessary to have as 
guide either the sheikh or some one delegated by him. 
We were glad to have the protection of this sheikh, 
though we felt rather uncomfortable in his presence. 
It was noon when we left the Church of the Nativity 
on our way to the old world monastery of Mar Saba, 
in the desert of Judea this side of the Dead Sea. 
Soon after leaving Bethlehem we come into a wild 
region, in fact I did not expect to see such a sterile, 
rocky country as lies between this place and the 
Dead Sea. 

The day was unusually hot, and it seemed to grow 
hotter as we advanced. The country was suffering 
for rain, and what little vegetation was left was with- 
ered so that everything had a dreary aspect. Much 
anxiety was manifested by the people of southern 
Palestine because the latter rains had not yet come, 
and a water famine was feared. The winter rains 
had not been as copious as usual. These rains are 
expected to fill the cisterns and pools, thoroughly 
souk the ground, and replenish the springs. When 




SCARCITY OF WATER. 



149 



these rains are not so heavy as usual then they 
depend upon the latter rains which come in April. 
These rains also are expected to refresh the growing 
grain. This latter rain was late. The cisterns were 
almost empty, and had the drought continued some 
time longer the suffering would have been very great. 
The prophet Joel describes the desolation of such a 
water famine : " The field is wasted, the land mourn- 
eth; for the corn is wasted; the new wine is dried 
up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, ye hus- 
bandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat 
and for the barley ; because the harvest of the field is 
perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree 
languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree 
also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field 
are withered. The seed is rotten under their clods, 
the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken 
down; for the corn is withered. The beasts of the 
field cry also unto thee ; for the rivers of waters are 
dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of 
the wilderness." 

Considerable anxiety was shown by our own drag- 
oman, who was responsible for our water supply, for 
in the desolate region about the monastery of St. 
Saba, there is no water save what the monks catch in 
their cisterns. The road over which we passed was 
very rough. In fact it was no road at all, but simply 
a goat path leading up among the mountains. What 
wondrous cliffs, what deep gorges. My head became 
dizzy as I looked down, and yet on we went, skirting 
the edge of the mountains on paths that goats would 
hardly be able to walk. But the horses of this 
country are sure-footed, and we were assured there 
was no danger, yet how can one feel safe when in the 



150 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



very presence of such danger as menaced us on 
almost every foot of ground between Bethlehem and 
the monastery. It was late in the afternoon when 
we came in sight of Mar Saba. The tents were 
pitched not far from the old building, and we were 
right glad to lie down and rest. 

But this convent of Mar Saba, what is it, and why 
is it here in the wilderness so far from human habita- 
tion? It must be remembered that in the earlier 
ages of the church many persons thought they could 
live a holier life if separated from the world, and so 
they sought the loneliest and most dreary places in 
the wilderness for their abodes. Especially was 
there an exodus to the desert about the time of the 
dissolution of the Roman Empire. The legend says 
that early in the fifth century St. Saba came to this 
region, gathered about him a number of followers and 
founded the monastery which bears his name. It is the 
property of the Greek church and is supported by it. 
There were, at the time of our visit, about sixty-five 
monks connected with the institution. They wear a 
coarse robe, a brimless pot hat, and go barefooted. 
Their diet is nothing but bread and salt, and they are 
allowed to drink nothing but water, and it is not 
often that one goes outside of the walls. 

Here they mumble out their prayers, which I have 
reason to believe never ascend above the convent 
walls. The monks were kind to us, furnished us all 
the water we needed, and conducted us through as 
much of the building as is shown to visitors. They 
frequently entertain travelers who come to them for 
shelter, furnishing them a poor bed and much vermin 
at a moderate price. No woman has ever been 
allowed to set her foot within its sacred precincts. 



LEGEND OF ST. SABA. 



151 



Why this precaution, I was not able to learn, but it 
may be they do not want any of their secrets 
divulged. The gates of the building are closed and 
locked day and night, and opened only to such as are 
known to be friendly. A watchman sits in the tower 
and from his window is able to look over the sur- 
rounding country as well as to the gate below. 

The convent has several times been robbed of its 
great treasures by the Bedouins of the desert, and 
since, a strict watch has been kept. The monastery 
serves both as a convent and a fort. After being 
admitted into the gate we went down a paved way 
to a second door, and then down winding stairs until 
we reached the court below where the mausoleum of 
St. Saba is shown. Then we ascend another winding 
stair cut in the solid rock on the side of the perpen- 
dicular mountain, to the cave where St. Saba wrote 
and meditated. It is said that when he first entered 
the cave there was a lion in it who at once showed 
himself friendly, and was the constant companion of 
the monk. But being displeased with his four-footed 
friend he ordered him to be gone one day, whereupon 
the lion gave a low growl and disappeared through 
the wall. The hole which he made through a three 
foot solid stone wall is still shown. The monk told 
us the story with as much gravity as though he were 
speaking of well-known truths. When one of the 
party asked whether the lion really leaped through 
the solid stone wall the monk replied, " there is the 
hole in the rock, if the lion did not jump through 
there how came the hole." It all seemed reasonable 
enough and I almost felt ashamed that any of us 
should doubt the word of the good monk. But these 
hermits who perhaps never saw a lion and do not 



152 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



know whether he is the size of a cat or a jackal should 
enlarge the hole somewhat, or change the legend and 
say the lion was a dog. 

We then passed into the church which is really a 
fine one and all ablaze with silver and gold. From 
the church we descended into a chapel below where 
we saw through grated openings the skulls of many 
thousands of martyred monks, piled one above the 
other, tier upon tier. It was a ghastly sight. We 
also passed by the prison door which leads into a 
vault where no light ever comes. But why a prison 
in a monastery where men pretend to be Christians ? 
The question is easily answered and is simple. Those 
who in any way offend the patriarch, or head of the 
Greek Church, are sent to this monastery and impris- 
oned. When they enter this cell they never come 
out. The supposition is that they are either poison- 
ed or starved to death. We were not admitted into 
the library, which is said to contain some very old 
manuscripts. 

Since Tischendorf visited the place the monks are 
under the impression they have a great treasure in 
their library, and hence it is difficult to get even a 
glimpse of it. I have no doubt if some one were 
allowed to examine the shelves closely that some val- 
uable manuscript might be found. Most of the 
monks are too ignorant to know the true value of 
their library, for many of them cannot read. The 
impression you get of this old monastery is one you 
will never forget. The bare cells, the rich chapel, 
the many skulls, the strange looking monks with 
their cylinder hats, the rim at the top instead of 
bottom, the great loneliness of the place all go to 
make up a picture the like of which you have never 



SIGHTS AT MAR SABA. 



153 



seen before. The monks seem more dead than alive. 
They are sluggish, and most of them wear a sad 
countenance. They offer you canes for sale, as well 
as a peculiar looking quill dropped by some bird on 
the roof of the building. Just ^before our departure 
we were led out upon the flat roof from which we had 
the best view of the monastery. It is really like a 
bird's nest hanging upon the side of the steep rocks. 
How it was built thus, and where the stone came 
from is not known. In a little patch of ground on 
the roof there is a solitary palm tree said to be very 
old, and at various points and angles of the rambling 
old building the monks have little patches of garden. 
From the roof you look down five hundred and ninety 
feet to the dry bed of the brook Kedron. On the 
opposite side we saw in the perpendicular rocks, 
hanging right over the fearful chasm, the caves once 
inhabited by hermits, but now occupied by bats. 

We found the heat intense, and how the monks 
could endure it I could hardly understand. Geikie 
says of it : "The heat, moreover, is terrible in sum- 
mer, for walls of chalk and high ridges shut out the 
refreshing western breeze, and there is no cooling 
green to temper the burning noon and soothe the 
imagination. Even in the caves of the old hermits, 
so numerous around, there is no relief, for they seem 
hotter than the open air. Yet this hideous desert 
has from the earliest times, even before Christianity, 
been a favorite retreat of ascetics. Colonies of 
Essenes flourished here in the time of Christ. 
Scattered over the land, more than four thousand 
members of this strange community lived apart, in 
the villages, and even in the towns, but their chief 

settlement was in this ghastly "Wilderness of Judea'' 
11 



154 



UXDER EASTERN SKIES. 



fittingly called in Scripture "Jeshimon" — u The soli- 
tude.-' In this wilderness also lived the hermit 
Banus, mentioned by Josephus, and it was in these 
frightful gorges that John the Baptist spent his years 
of meditation and prayer, before he made his appear- 
ance on the Jordan, calling his nation to repentance 
in preparation for the Messiah." 

I was hardly prepared for what I saw here in the 
wilderness, and was consequently filled with aston- 
ishment. All through the night the bells of the old 
convent kept ringing and sending their solemn notes 
far over the hills. I knew that at 8 o'clock and 11, 
and again at 3 o'clock in the morning the monks 
over there were gathered in the church for prayer. 
The reflection that came to me was, that one humble 
Christian in active work was worth more to God and 
humanity than a thousand monks here in the desert. 
What are they doing here. They certainly are not 
laboring for their church for they scarcely ever get 
outside of the convent walls. They do not allow the 
Bedouins to enter within their gate, and so what are 
they doing for God? Will they be heard for their 
much praying? God never intended any of his chil- 
dren to idle away their time as these monks do, when 
there is so much to be accomplished by active labor. 

About daylight the next morning we left the towers 
of the convent behind us on our way to the Dead 
Sea. The route lies along the valley of the Kedron, 
and is wild and picturesque. There is little of inter- 
est along the way. Across the valley we saw a white 
dome-like structure which the Mohammedans claim 
to be the burial place of Moses. But this is not con- 
sistent with Scripture, for we read in the thirty-fourth 
chapter of Deuteronomy, "So Moses the servant of 



BURIAL OF MOSES. 



155 



the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to 
the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley 
in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor, but no 
man knowelh of his sepulchre unto this day." God 
buried him somewhere in the land of Moab, and that 
is beyond Jordan. It is well that his burial place 
was kept a secret, for thus much idolatry was pre- 
vented. Mrs. C. F. Alexander has written a most 
beautiful poem on the burial of Moses, which I will 
reproduce here, because I believe it will be interest- 
ing to the reader. . 

By Nebo's lonely mountain, 

On this side Jordan's wave, 
In a vale in the land of Moab, 

There lies a lonely grave; 
And no man knows that sepulchre, 

And no man saw it e'er, 
For the angels of God upturned the sod, 

And laid the dead man there. 

That was the grandest funeral 

That ever passed on earth, 
But no man heard the tramping, 

Or saw the train go forth 
Noiselessly as the daylight 

Comes back when night is done, 
And the crimson streak on ocean's cheek 

GrowS into the great sun. 

Noiselessly as the spring time 

Her crown of verdure weaves, . 
And all the trees on all the hills 

Open their thousand leaves; 
So, without sound of music 

Or voice of them that wept, 
Silently down from the mountain's crown, 

The great procession swept. 

Perchance the bald old eagle, 

On gray Beth-peor's height, 
Out of his lonely eyrie 

Looked on the wondrous sight. 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Perchance the lion stalking 

Still shuns that hallowed spot; 
For beast and bird have seen and heard 

That which man knoweth not. 

But when the warrior dieth, 

His comrades in the war. 
With arms reversed and muffled drum, 

Follow his funeral car. 
They show the banners taken, 

They tell his battles won, 
And after him lead his masterless steed, 

While peals the minute gun. 

Amid the noblest in the land 

Men lay the sage to rest, 
And give the bard an honored place 

With costly marble dressed; 
In the great minster transept, 

Where lights like glories fall, 
And the organ rings, and the sweet choir sings, 

Along the emblazoned wall. 

This was the truest warrior 

That ever buckled sword,— 
This the most gifted poet 

That ever breathed a word; 
And never earth's philosopher 

Traced with his golden pen, 
On the deathless page, truths half so sage, 

As he wrote down for men. 

And had he not high honor? 

The hillside for his pall, 
To lie in state while angels wait, 

With stars for tapers tall; 
And the dark rock-pines, like tossing plumes, 

Over his bier to wave, 
And God's own hand in that lonely land, 
Tolay him in the grave? 

In that strange grave without a name, 

Whence his uncoffined clay 
Shall break again, O wondrous thought, 

Before the Judgment Day, 
And stand with glory wrapped around, 

On the hills he never trod, 
And speak of the strife that won our life, 

With the incarnate Son of God. 



FIRST SIGHT OF DEAD SEA. 



157 



0, lonely grave in Moab's land, 

O, dark Beth-peor's hill, 
Speak to these curions hearts of ours, 

And teach them to he still; 
God hath his mysteries of grace, 

Ways that we cannot tell; 
He hides them deep, like the hidden sleep 

Of him he loved so well. 

After having journeyed over a dangerous road for 
at least five hours, we got our first glimpse of the 
Dead Sea. It seemed to lie right at our feet, and I 
expected to stand on its shores in a few minutes. 1 
was somewhat disappointed when I was told that it 
was at least ten miles distant. So wonderfully clear 
is the atmosphere in this land that distant prospects 
are brought very nigh. About three hours more of 
hard riding brought us finally to the plains and then 
to the sea. My mind at once went back to the 
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, when the Lord 
rained fire and brimstone out of heaven and over- 
whelmed them. I thought also of Lot's unfortunate 
wife who disobeyed the command not to look back, 
and in consequence of which found herself converted 
into a pillar of salt. The sea is already mentioned 
in Gen. 14 : 3, where it is called the "salt sea." It is 
also probable that the "east sea" of Ezekiel 47 : 18, 
is the same. The Arabs call it Bahr Lut, the Sea of 
Lot. Josephus speaks of it as the Asphaltic Lake. 
The term Dead Sea originated undoubtedly because 
of a mistaken idea as to its deadly climate. I confess 
I was much disappointed in the appearance of the 
sea as well as the region round about the northern 
end. Almost all the representations I have had of it 
have been that it was a desolate and deadly region 
more so than any other spot on earth. Even Dr. 
Schaff says that "the shores are barren and scorched, 



158 UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 

and incrusted with a thin coating of salt, in which 
horse and man sink at every step." I did not find it 
thus. We rode down to the very edge of the water, 
and our horses sank in no deeper than they would on 
the sandy shore of any other sea or lake, while vege- 
tation was more abundant within a hundred feet of 
the water than it was some miles back. I fear the 
most travelers go there with an overwrought imagin- 
ation as to the utter desolation of the region, and 
having in view the tremendous catastrophe of God's 
vengeance upon the cities of the plain, go away 
with that imagination pitched to the highest key. 
But it would be contrary to all facts to state that it 
is not a dreary and desolate looking region. 

The water is thick and still, and returns to the 
sun's rays a blueness and brilliancy which seem 
almost metallic, and it is so heavily charged with salt 
as to make it bitter and biting which I discovered by 
accidentally getting a mouthful. Ordinary sea- water 
has but four per cent, of salt, while that of the Dead 
Sea has at least twenty-six per cent. Still this is not 
the saltest water on the face of the globe. The Lake 
of Elton which lies on the steppes east of the Volga, 
and supplies Russia with salt, contains twenty-nine 
per cent, of saline matter. 

It may truly be called the Dead Sea, because no 
living creature has ever been found in its waters. 
One of our muleteers, however, found a fresh water 
crab in a spring not over two hundred feet from 
the shore. There was a slight crust of salt, (at some 
places hardly perceptible,) on the shore for at least a 
mile back. A peculiar mist hangs over the water, 
which makes it impossible to see to a very great dis- 
tance, and which would seem to indicate the great 



A SALT BATH. 



159 



and rapid evaporation which is constantly going on. 
It may be possible that this mist first suggested the 
notion of sulphuric and deadly vapors on the surface 
of the sea, and which really do not exist. On the 
shores are found small pieces of bituminous stone 
out of which crosses and fancy ware are made at 
Bethlehem, and occasionally one finds a softer mater- 
ial which was undoubtedly asphalt, and which under 
the fierce rays of the sun had been melted like 
pitch. 

We took a bath in the sea and found the water as 
buoyant as it has been reported, making it difficult 
to swim and impossible to sink. The water is very 
unpleasant to the taste, and one feels on emerging 
from it as though he had been dipped into some oily 
substance, and we found it necessary to bathe in the 
waters of the Jordan to remove this unpleasant 
feeling. 

The basin in which the Dead Sea lies is perhaps 
the lowest depression on earth. It lies at least 1,300 
feet below the Mediterranean Sea, and receives the 
waters of the Jordan, which though constantly flow- 
ing into it, never fill it. Beside the Jordan, there are 
several other streams which flow into the sea and yet 
seem to have little effect upon it. The most reason- 
able explanation which is given of this is that the 
evaporation is so strong as to carry off the water 
which is continually added. The lowest depth of the 
sea is about 1,300 feet, while its length is forty miles, 
and its breadth nine. Lieutenant Lynch in his Nar- 
rative of the U. S. Expedition to the Dead Sea, says 
of it, "On one side rugged and worn, was the salt 
mountain of Usdum, with its conspicuous pillar, 
which reminded us at least of the catastrophe of the 



160 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



plain; on the other were the lofty and barren cliffs of 
Moab, in one of the caves of which the fugitive had 
found shelter. To the south was an extensive flat 
intersected by sluggish drains, with the high hills of 
Edom semi-girdling the salt plain where the Israelites 
repeatedly overthrew their enemies; and to the north 
was the calm and motionless sea, curtained with a 
purple mist, while many fathoms deep in the slimy 
mud beneath it lay imbedded the ruins of the ill- 
fated cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The glare of 
light was blinding to the eye, and the atmosphere 
difficult of respiration. No bird fanned with its wings 
the attenuated air through which the sun poured his 
scorching rays upon the mysterious element on which 
we floated, and which alone, of all the works of its 
Maker, contains no living thing within it." 

The traditional site of the pillar of salt is at the 
southern end of the sea. But the whole matter is 
only conjecture. It is not very likely that a pillar 
of salt would remain until this day. Josephus is of 
the opinion that he saw the pillar. Lieutenant Lynch 
professes to have found it during his researches in 
this region, at Usdum, on the southern shore, and 
says, "Soon after, to our astonishment, we saw on 
the eastern side of Usdum, one-third the distance 
from its northern extreme, a lofty round pillar, stand- 
ing apparently detached from the general mass, at the 
head of a deep, narrow, and abrupt chasm. We 
immediately pulled in for the shore, and Dr. Ander- 
sen and I went up and examined it. The beach was 
a soft, slimy mud encrusted with salt, and a short 
distance from the water, covered with saline frag- 
ments and flakes of bitumen. We found the pillar to 
be of solid salt, capped with carbonate of lime, 



CITIES OF THE PLAIN. 



161 



cylindrical in front and pyramidical behind. The 
upper or rounded part is about forty feet high, rest- 
ing on a kind of oval pedestal, from forty to sixty 
feet above the level of the sea. It slightly decreases 
in size upward, crumbles at the top, and is one entire 
mass of crystallization. A prop or buttress connects 
it with the mountain behind, and the whole is cover- 
ed with debris of a light stone color. Its peculiar 
shape is doubtless attributable to the action of the 
winter rains. The Arabs had told us in vague terms 
that there was to be found a pillar somewhere upon 
the shores of the sea." 

There is some difference of opinion as to whether 
the cities of the plain were at the southern or north- 
ern end of the sea. This may never be decided. 
J osephus and Jerome hold to the opinion that they 
were at the southern end. There are others such as 
Dr. Robinson and Lieutenant Lynch who hold the 
same view. After carefully examining the testimony 
on both sides I incline to the view that these cities 
stood somewhere at the northern end of the sea, 
either on the west or east side of the Jordan. We 
need not necessarily suppose that they are now under 
the sea, for in all probability the sea was in existence 
before the cities were destroyed, and furthermore we 
are told they were destroyed by fire. It is more than 
probable that when the difference arose between 
Abraham and Lot, and they agreed to separate, they 
could from their lofty position, between Bethel 
and Ai, see the fertile region on which Sodom 
and Gomorrah were situated. Geikie says : "The 
fact that Moses, from his lofty outlook on 
Mount Pisgah, beheld the Negeb and the plain of 
the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto 



162 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Zoar," requires that this landscape should have been 
that of the northern end of the sea, for the other 
end cannot be seen from the neighborhood from 
which Moses surveyed the landscape. Sodom and 
Gomorrah must therefore, apparently, have stood 
either on the eastern or western side of the Jordan, 
just above the lake; probably on the eastern. Both 
sides of the river are remarkable for the number of 
mounds which dot them — silent monuments of 
. ancient towns or cities, for excavations in any of 
them bring to light fragments of pottery, and burnt 
or sun-dried bricks, and even fragments of pillars, 
and stones squared by the mason. In all probabili- 
ty, some of these indicate the true sites of the long- 
lost cities." Of course this is only conjecture. 
Future research may confirm the above opinion. 

It is a long and wearisome ride to the Dead Sea, 
but one is well repaid for his trouble. The impres- 
sion one receives will never be effaced. With all 
that has been said about this wonderful sheet of 
water much more might be said but it would take a 
volume. We tarried a while in meditation, then 
mounted our horses and were off for the Jordan. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE JORDAN. 



ITS SOURCE AND CHARACTERISTICS. — SOME OF ITS HIS- 
TORIC ASSOCIATIONS. — JERICHO, ANCIENT AND 
MODERN. — AN ARAB DANCE. — QUARAN- 
TANIA. — RIDE TO JERUSALEM. 

\ FTER we had our bath in the Dead Sea, the 



Sheikh, who conducted our party through his 



district, including the region of Mar Saba, the 
Dead Sea, the Jordan and Jericho, ordered us to 
mount our horses so as to reach the river in time for 
lunch. This Sheikh was a fierce looking Arab, and a 
terror to all his enemies, which latter were numerous, 
as we learned from one who was acquainted with 
him. He led a sort of charmed life, having five 
bullets in his body. He rode a fleet horse and was 
^rmed to the teeth. We respected him very much, 
and were careful not to intrude upon the space he 
reserved for himself near the camp. This chief was 
also a very religious man. I saw him at his prayers 
several times a day, bowing to the earth in the direc- 
tion of Mecca, and mumbling out his praise to 
Mohammed. His gun was by his side, and even 
while praying he was ready to shoot down any of his 
enemies who might be prowling about. Such is the 
religion of these Arabs. They will kill and rob a 
man, and the next moment say their prayers, think- 
ing they have done God service. 




164 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



We reached the Jordan about noon, and were glad 
to sit under the shade of the trees upon its banks. It 
was doubly refreshing to us because we had not seen 
a tree for a week. I was sadly disappointed in the 
Jordan. When we came to the end of the ridge of 
mountains overlooking the plain I expected to see a 
broad river rushing into the Dead Sea, but instead I 
saw only a narrow strip of green, winding along the 
valley out of sight. It is impossible to see the water 
of the Jordan until you are within a few feet of its 
banks. I do not think the river at the point where 
we rested is over seventy-five feet wide. Why it is 
called a river I can hardly tell, but one finds strange 
things in this country. The brook Kedron and Cher- 
ith are nothing more than dry beds through which a 
little water runs during the rainy season, and yet 
they are called brooks. What we would call a mill 
race is here given the high sounding name of river. 
But as the ancients called nearly all their streams 
rivers we might as well be satisfied. Besides it 
would destroy much of its sacred associations to call 
it a mill race or creek. So this narrow stream upon 
which we stand is the river Jordan which has formed 
so important an element in the history of the world ? 
It is none other, and as I stood upon its banks, I 
could not help but go back through the ages to the 
time when Israel, travel stained and weary, crossed 
this stream on dry ground even as they had crossed 
the Ked Sea. 

What a wonderful host this was. How anxiously 
they looked over the swollen stream eager to get to 
their inheritance. But how should they cross ? Had 
they already forgotten the wonderful way through 
the sea? Had it already passed out of their minds 



CROSSING THE JORDAN. 



165 



that God had opened the way for them ? They had 
not, and were certain he would open the way here. 
The simple record is, "And it came to pass, when the 
people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, 
and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before 
the people ; and as they that bare the ark were come 
unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the 
ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan 
overnoweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 
That the waters which came down from above, stood 
and rose up upon an heap very far from the city 
Adam, that is beside Zaretan; and those that came 
down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, 
failed, and were cut off ; and the people passed right 
over against Jericho." 

It was this river also that Elijah and Elisha crossed 
when they came from Jericho, on the other side of 
which Elijah ascended by the whirlwind into heaven. 
The narrative is given in II. Kings, 2: "And Elijah 
took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote 
the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, 
so that they two went over on dry ground." And 
when the prophet had ascended into the skies, and 
his mantle had fallen upon Elisha, the latter, on 
returning to the Jordan, took the mantle and smote 
the waters, and they parted as before, and Elisha 
went over. It was also to one of the fords of the 
Jordan that the men of Jericho pursued the spies 
sent out by Joshua. It was in this river also that 
Naaman the Syrian bathed and was healed of his 
leprosy after he had exclaimed, "Are not Abana and 
Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the 
waters of Israel?" Somewhere near where we 
rested the Baptist spoke his stern words and baptized 



166 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the multitudes. In this vicinity also the Savior him- 
self was baptized. Surely one can not help but think 
that this is really the most wonderful stream on the 
face of the earth. Other rivers are wider and deeper. 
Their banks are lined with cities and their waters 
ploughed by great ships. The commerce of a world 
goes upon them. They are spanned by huge bridges, 
but to none of them cling the sacred associations 
which makes the Jordan the dearest stream on earth 
to believers in Christ. 

The source of .the Jordan is somewhere above the 
Sea of Galilee. Some are of the opinion that it takes 
its rise in Lake Huleh, a small lake with much 
marshy ground about it. Some claim a small lake 
named Phiala as the real source, quoting Josephus 
as their authority, who says that Philip the Tetrarch 
once cast some chaff into the lake, which afterward 
reappeared at the cavern of Banias. The most 
probable source, or at least one of them, is found at 
Tel-el-Kadi, the site of ancient Dan. There are other 
sources also, such as the one at Hasbany and the one 
at Banias. These are really the most wonderful 
fountains of water I have ever seen. Streams strong 
enough to run mills gush out at the base of the 
mountains, and rest not until they are lost in the 
Dead Sea. The great volume of water coming from 
these sources may be imagined when it is known that 
the Jordan has but one or two tributaries and these 
very insignificant. 

The principal features of the Jordan are its descent, 
and its windings. It is born in the mountains, and is 
buried in the lowest body of water on the globe — the 
Dead Sea, Its rapid descent has, in all probability, 
given it the name of Jordan or Descender. In the 



A TORTUOUS RIVER. 



167 



short distance from the foot of Hermon to Lake 
Huleh or Merom, the descent is 1,434 feet; from this 
point to the Lake of Galilee the fall is 897 feet ; from 
there to the Dead Sea there is another fall of 618 feet, 
making in all 2,949 feet. From the Sea of Galilee it 
plunges over a series of twenty- seven rapids before it 
empties into the Salt Sea. 

It is the most tortuous river in the world. The 
actual distance from the place where the Jordan 
emerges from the Sea of Galilee to its final destina- 
tion, is only sixty miles; yet so numerous are its 
doublings and windings that its crooked course is 
proved to be not less than two hundred miles. The 
banks of the river are steep and the current very 
rapid, and in bathing I found it necessary to hold 
onto the branch of an overhanging tree or I would 
have been carried away. Another strange feature of 
the Jordan is that we have no record of any city 
being built on its banks, nor is it mentioned in the 
Bible that a bridge spanned it, neither do we read of 
any boat upon it. It was crossed by fords, two of 
which are mentioned. 

It is more than likely from the configuration of the 
Jordan valley that in former ages there was one 
large lake down the entire basin, and after this began 
to decrease we had a succession of smaller lakes, till 
Huleh, Galilee and the Dead Sea only remain. It is 
probable that the plain of Jericho was once covered 
by the waters of a lake. 

Lieutenant Lynch is perhaps the only person who 
has ever descended the whole length of the Jordan in 
a boat. His description is so vivid that I will trans- 
cribe it, though it be somewhat lengthy: "The 
boats had little need to propel them, for the current 



168 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



carried us along at the rate of from four to six knots 
an hour, the river, from its eccentric course, scarcely 
permitttng a correct sketch of its topography to be 
taken. It curved and twisted north, south, east, and 
west, turning, in the short space of half an hour, to 
every quarter of the compass. . . . For hours, in 
their swift descent, the boats floated down in silence, 
the silence of the wilderness. Here and there were 
spots of solemn beauty. The numerous birds sang 
with a music strange and manifold; the willow 
branches floated from the trees like tresses, and 
creeping mosses and clambering weeds, with a multi- 
tude of white and silvery little flowers, looked out 
from among them; and the cliff swallow wheeled 
over the falls, or went at his own wild will, darting 
through the arched vistas, shadowed and shaped by 
the meeting foliage on the banks ; and, above all, yet 
attuned to all, was the music of the river, gushing 
with a sound like that of shawms and cymbals. . . . 

The stream sometimes washed the bases of the 
sandy hills, and at other times meandered between 
low banks, generally fringed with trees and fragrant 
with blossoms. Some points presented views exceed- 
ingly picturesque — the mad rushing of a mountain 
torrent, the song and sight of birds, the overhanging 
ioliage, and glimpses of the mountains, far over the 
plain, and here and there a gurgling rivulet, pouring 
its tribute of crystal water into the now muddy Jor- 
dan. The western shore was peculiar, from the high 
limestone hills, while the left, or eastern bank, was 
low, and fringed with tamarisk and willow, and 
occasionally a thicket of lofty cane, and tangled 
masses of shrubs and creeping plants, giving it the 
character of a jungle. At one place we saw the fresh 



RIDE DOWN THE JORDAN. 



169 



track of a tiger on the low clayey margin, where he 
had come to drink. At another time as we passed 
his lair, a wild boar started with a savage grunt, and 
dashed into the thicket, but for some moments we 
traced his pathway by the bending canes and the 
crashing sound of broken branches. 

Our course down the stream was with varied rapid- 
ity. At times we were going at the rate of from 
three to four knots an hour, and again we would be 
swept and hurried away, dashing and whirling 
onward with the furious speed of a torrent. At such 
moments there was excitement, for we knew not but 
that the next turn of the stream would plunge us 
down some fearful cataract, or dash us on the sharp 
rocks which might lurk beneath the surface. Many 
islands — some fairy -like, and covered with a luxuri- 
ant vegetation, others, mere sand banks and sedi- 
mentary deposits, intercepted the course of the river, 
but were beautiful features in the monotony of the 
shores. The regular and almost unvaried scene, of 
high banks of alluvial deposit and sand hills on the 
one hand, and the low shore, covered to the water's 
edge with tamarisk, the willow, and the thick, high 
cane, would have been fatiguing without the frequent 
occurrence of sand banks and verdant islands. High 
up on the sand-bluffs, the cliff-swallow chattered from 
her nest in the hollow, or darted about in the bright 
sunshine, in pursuit of the gnat and the waterfly." 

The Jordan has always been a favorite bathing 
place for pilgrims of the Greek Church, and thither 
they flock by thousands during the Easter season, 
feeling sure that their sins are washed away after 
they have bathed in it. It is said that even Constan- 
tine desired to plunge into its tide, but death came to 



170 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



him before it was realized. It was not my privilege 
to be there during the Easter season, and so did not 
see this peculiar ceremony, but will give the descrip- 
tion of others. Thomson remarks : " Immediately 
the pilgrims rushed headlong into the stream — men, 
women and children — in one undistinguished mass. 
The haughty Turk sat upon his beautiful horse, and 
looked in scorn upon this exposure of the 1 Christian 
dogs.' The pilgrims, however, were highly delighted 
with their bath. The men ducked the women some- 
what as the farmers do their sheep, while the little 
children were carried and plunged under water, 
trembling like so many lambs. 

Some had water poured on their heads, in imitation 
of the baptism of the Savior ; for it is part of the tra- 
dition that our blessed Lord was baptized here, and 
the ruins of an old convent near at hand ascertain 
the exact locality to the perfect satisfaction of the 
devout pilgrim." I quote also from Lieutenant 
Lynch, another eye witness of the scene: u In all 
the wild haste of a disorderly rout, Copts and Rus- 
sians, Poles, Armenians, Greeks and Syrians, from 
all parts of Asia, from Europe, from Africa,, and from 
far distant America, on they came, men, women and 
children, of every age and hue, and in every variety 
of costume; talking, screaming, shouting, in almost 
every known language under the sun. Mounted as 
variously as those who had preceded them, many of 
the women and children were suspended in baskets 
or confined in cages; and with their eyes strained 
towards the river, heedless of all intervening obsta- 
cles, they hurried eagerly forward, and, dismounting 
in haste and disrobing with precepitation, rushed 
down the bank and threw themselves into the 



SWEET MEMORIES. 



171 



stream. They seemed to be absorbed by one impul- 
sive feeling, and perfectly regardless of the observa- 
tion of others. Each one plunged himself, or wa& 
dipped by another, three times below the surface, in 
honor of the Trinity, and then filled a bottle, or some 
other utensil, from the river. . . . The pageant 
disappeared as rapidly as it had approached, and left 
to us once more the silence and solitude of the wil- 
derness. It was like a dream. An immense crowd 
of human beings, said to be 8,000, but I thought not 
so many, had passed and repassed before our tents, 
and left not a vestige behind them." 

What sacred memories come upon one by this fast 
flowing river. Here at this ford Israel crossed over. 
Here, too, occurred that greatest event in its history, 
the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was here 
that " the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw 
the spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting 
upon him." Surely no event in all its history so 
solemn as this. 

" O happy river ! conscious in each drop 
From thy clear bottom to thy smiling top — 
Deep calling unto deep, as rapids swift 
To foaming cataracts their voice uplift 
In eager proclamation, far to near 
And near to far, loud shouting, God is here! 



And as he, praying, doth from thee ascend, 
Wonder of wonders, when will wonders end ? 
Heaven's doors dimensionless wide open spread, 
And more than heaven descends upon his head. 
The Holy Ghost, down darting from above 
In volant shape and semblance of a dove 
There rests, expressing peace ; and lo ! is heard 
A voice from heaven that joins the attesting word : — 
Thou art my Son, my Sole Begot, in Thee 
I am well pleased ; begin Thyself to be ! " 



172 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Here on the banks of the Jordan among the trees I 
saw more than one of the gentle doves so common in 
this country. They are not unlike our own doves. I 
saw them frequently even amid the ruins in the land, 
as well as about the dirty villages. But here in this 
pleasant retreat they were at home. 




DOVES OF THE HOLY LAND. 



Every traveler will notice the peculiar fact that the 
Jordan has several banks, but it is only the lower 
which are overflowed. The lower bank is nowhere 
wide, and is covered with a jungle of willow, syca- 
more and various other trees and shrubs. It was 
during the overflow or " swellings of the Jordan," in 
the days of old that the lion and other wild beasts 
were expelled from their hiding places. This over- 
flow occurs in the spring time, and it was at this 



HYMNOLOGY. 



173 



season while the river was at its height that the chil- 
dren of Israel crossed, God having opened the way. 
The probabilities are that the inundation is not so 
large now as it was in the days of Joshua, and does 
not last so long. The Mountains of Lebanon and 
flermon have been denuded of their forests, and this 
has helped to diminish the rainfall, and caused the 
snow to melt sooner. What vast reservoirs those 
mountains must be, sending forth their greatest vol- 
ume of water in the spring time when they are satur- 
ated with moisture, but never being dry there is 
always a refreshing stream from their inexhaustible 
fountain. 

The Jordan has been made use of in many figures 
of speech, and especially do we find this so in hym- 
nology. One sees the inconsistency of these things 
when for the first time you look upon the little 
stream winding down through the barren plain. I 
am confident the man who wrote 

" On Jordan's stormy banks I stand 

And cast a wishful eye, 
To Canaan's fair and happy land 

Where my possessions lie," 

never saw the river, or he would not have spoken of 
its banks as stormy. As for the "possessions," one 
does not get a very promising outlook from the banks 
of Jordan, for what you see is only the barren plain 
of Jericho. People would change their views of a 
great many things were they to visit this land. But 
the Jordan leaves an impression on the mind which 
can not be effaced. Narrow, rapid, muddy as its 
water is, I shall always have it before me as the most 
sacred of all rivers on the earth. 



174 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



From the river we turned our faces across the plain 
toward Jericho, taking perhaps the same route taken 
by the Israelites. We passed by the supposed sight 
-of Gilgal, their first encampment, which was perhaps 
four or five miles distant from the river. It was here 
the people erected a circle of twelve stones to com- 
memorate their crossing the Jordan. There are a 
number of mounds in the vicinity which are supposed 
to be the fortified camp of the Children of Israel. It 
is hardly possible that any remains, or ruins will ever 
be found to indicate where Gilgal was. It is likely 
that no permanent buildings were erected, or if any, 
probably only of mud which would soon vanish 
•under the influence of the elements. 

And is this the fertile plain of Jericho? It was so 
once, but not now, for it is nothing but a desert 
waste. Towards the city we found some patches of 
cultivated ground. The plain might be made as fer- 
tile as it once was if the water of the Jordan could be 
turned over it. It will be only by irrigation that the 
land can be made of any value. 

The modern Jericho is named Eriha, and does not 
compare very favorably with the ancient city of Jeri- 
cho. It is certainly one of the most wretched villages 
I saw in the entire land. I could hardly believe it to 
be the habitation of human beings. The majority of 
the houses were mere rude walls of stone, the roofs 
of earth, some broken in. There were no windows, 
and but one room. A peep within reveals to you as 
nothing else can, that the people are lazy and filthy. 
Many of these hovels are fenced in with the thorny 
nubk, which seems to be abundant here. The only 
buildings which can be called such is a convent, a 
tavern enclosed in a beautiful garden, and beyond 



SITE OF ANCIENT JERICHO. 



175 



this still another inn where most of the travelers 
lodge who are not furnished with a camping outfit. 
The people of this modern Jericho have* a bad repu- 
tation, especially the women, and it is doubtful 
whether, so far as morals are concerned, they are 
much above the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, 
whose cities were formerly somewhere on this plain. 

How different all this is from the days when Jesus 
journeyed through this region. Then the plain was 
fertile. Jericho was called " the city of palms," and 
they grew over the entire plain. The plains were 
also noted for their honey and balsam, and there 
were few spots on the face of the globe more inviting 
than this region which to-day is but a desert. 

It is likely the ancient city stood somewhere near 
the fountain of Elisha, the waters of which the pro- 
phet sweetened with salt. II. Kings 2 : 19-22. The 
Jericho of the New Testament probably stood near 
the brook Cherith, or not far from the present miser- 
able village. Not the faintest trace of the old city 
has been discovered. There are no ruins to indicate 
the spot, and deep trenches dug into the hill near the 
spring have failed to reveal anything. Our tents 
were pitched near the village cemetery, and on the 
banks of Cherith, which, however, was dry. 

It was at Jericho I received my first invitation to a 
dance. I felt rather awkward about the matter, but 
what could I do? The invitation was given, to refuse 
would have been to insult the citizens of this village 
of the plain. In company with some of our party I 
went. The affair came off in the yard of the inn 
kept by an Englishman. I will here state that I did 
not take part in the dance, but simply looked on. It 
was a fine gathering. The elite of the town was 



176 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



there, in fact the entire population was on hand. It 
was a curious crowd. All were poorly dressed and 
dirty, in fact, about all the dressing some had was 
dirt. It was a strange and weird scene. A single 
torch was all that lighted up the ground. First the 
men joined hands in a semi-circle, swinging them- 
selves backward and forward, all the while giving 
utterance to a subdued grunt, reminding one very 
much of a certain animal so abundant in America. 
When they got tired the women came on the stage, 
and went through the same movement, accompanied 
by a wild Arab song. An old hag danced in front of 
the band, brandishing a huge sword, and at intervals 
giving a whoop which fairly made my hair stand on 
ends. I do not think I ever saw so diabolical an 
expression on any human being as I saw on that 
woman at the Jericho dance. I was glad to get 
away. It was but a step above the barbarous dances 
of the wild tribes in the interior of Africa. 

But what is that rugged mountain we see to the 
west of Jericho perhaps a mile and a half distant? 
The hill would attract attention because it seems to 
be almost perpendicular, and at the top are the ruins 
of an old convent. Far up in the rocks caverns were 
plainly visible, and which were once inhabited by 
pious monks who came here in the belief that this 
was the mountain upon which the Savior fasted forty 
daj T s, and here they dragged out their fasts in imita- 
tion of the tempted Jesus. It may be possible that 
this is the Mount of Temptation. It is in the neigh- 
borhood of the place where the baptism occurred, 
and after that he was led into the wilderness. It is 
only a matter of conjecture, and yet this wild and 
desolate region might be the place of that wondrous 



APPLES OF SODOM. 



177 



scene. Milton gives a picture of the place which, 
well accords with what we imagine it to have been in 
the time of Christ : 

" It was a mountain at whose verdant feet 

A spacious plain, outstretched in circuit wide, 

Lay pleasant ; from its side two rivers flowed, 

The one winding, the other straight, and left between 

Fair Champaign with less rivers intervened, 

Then meeting joined their tribute to the sea ; 

Fertile of corn the glebe, of oil, and wine ; 

With herds the pastures thronged, with flocks the hills ; 

Huge cities and high-towered, that well might seem 

The seats of mightiest monarchs, and so large 

The prospect was, that here and there was room 

For barren desert, fountainless and dry. 

To this high mountain, too, the tempter brought 

Our Savior, and new train of words began." 

It was raining in the morning. Long before day- 
light we heard the patter of the rain upon the tents. 
The long delayed showers at last came, and though 
inconvenient to us, it was a blessing to all this region. 
By six o'clock we were on our way, passing through 
the miserable village into the thickets beyond. Here 
we gathered some of the " apples of Sodom." They 
were about the size of an English walnut, and of a 
rich, golden color. It may be this is what Josephu& 
refers to in the following: "There are still to be 
seen here ashes reproduced in fruits, which resemble 
eatable fruits in color, but, on being plucked with 
the hands, are dissolved into smoke and ashes." I 
pressed some of them but failed to observe the 
smoke. They are mostly filled with air, and a dry, 
pithy substance. Here, too, we saw "the vine of 
Sodom." It's fruit is bitter and said to be poisonous. 
Reference is undoubtedly made to this in Deut. 32 : 
32: "Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the 
fields of Gomorrah ; their grapes are grapes of gall, 



178 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



their clusters are bitter, their wine is the poison of 
dragons, and the cruel venom of asps." It was prob- 
ably of the fruit of this vine that the sons of the 
prophet ate. "And it came to pass as they were 
eating, that they cried out, and said, thou man of 
God, there is death in the pot, and they could not 
eat." 

We halted by the fountain of Elisha and took a sip 
of its water. It seems to me this fountain must have 
been within the walls of the ancient Jericho. It is 
the only fountain in all this region, and this would 
seem to confirm the opinion that the spring was in 
the city. For if it had been without, the water sup- 
ply would have been cut off in case of a siege. After 
going along the plain for an hour we passed up into 
the hills, following the brook Cherith. Somewhere 
in this deep ravine Elijah hid himself and was fed by 
ravens. It certainly was a good hiding place. 

About midway between Jericho and Jerusalem we 
stopped for lunch at a Khan, which is supposed to be 
on the site of the inn to which the good Samaritan 
took the unfortunate man who fell among the rob- 
bers and was beaten by them. At this place our 
Arab Sheikh signified his intention of leaving us, as 
we could now proceed with safety. He also inti- 
mated to us that it would be very agreeable to him if 
we would each give him a present of money. He 
had already received his pay, so we did not give very 
liberally. The rain poured down all day. It came 
in such torrents that our horses sometimes refused to 
go, but wheeled about to avoid the storm in their 
faces. We were a sad looking set when we came 
upon the Mount of Olives, from which place we had 
a fine view of J erusalem. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



JERUSALEM. 



VIEW FROM BETHANY ROAD. — THE WALLS. — GATES OF THE 
CITY. — TOWER OF DAVID. — VIA DOLOROSA. — 
QUARRIES OF SOLOMON. — STREET 
SCENES. — WAILING PLACE. 

1 f Y first view of Jerusalem was disappointing, as 



all travelers have found it who approach it 



from the west. Very little of the city is seen 
on this side, and it was not until our return from 
Jericho by way of Bethany that I obtained my most 
satisfactory view of the Holy City. What thoughts 
crowd in upon the mind as one looks down upon the 
city from the hills to the east. Though its ancient 
glory is gone and it s sacred places obliterated, yet 
the view is inspiring. I could not help but stand 
silent for a long time and look, even though it was in 
a pelting rain. It was what I had long desired, and 
what I had come thousands of miles to see, and now 
the city lay before me, and soon I would be within 
its walls. The domes and minarets of the mosque of 
Omar and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and 
the embattled tower of Hippicus stood out clear 
against the sky. Glorious things are spoken of thee, 
city of God. I could not help but lift my thoughts 
from the desolate Jerusalem before me to the New 
Jerusalem above. The lines of a favorite hymn 
came to me as 1 thought of that city in the skies. 




180 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



" O happy harbor of God's saints ! 

O sweet and pleasant soil ! 
In thee no sorrow can be found, 

Nor grief, nor care, nor toil. 

No dimming cloud o'ershadows thee, 

Nor gloom, nor darksome night ; 
But every soul shines as the sun, 

For God himself gives light. 

Thy walls are made of precious stone, 

Thy bulwarks diamond-square, 
Thy gates are all of orient pearl — 

O God ! if I were there ! " 

You will look in vain for any of the things men- 
tioned in the hymn. Instead of being the harbor of 
God's saints it is the abode of wretched Jews and 
filthy Turks. Though gold Avas once plenty as stones 
in the streets of Jerusalem, it is very scarce now. 
But what need we care for gbld or precious stone, or 
oriental pearl, when we reach the city above? 

Everywhere you see pilgrims who have come many 
a weary mile to see what is to them the most sacred 
spot on earth, standing entranced as the city breaks 
upon their view. It may have been on this same 
eminence to the east that Richard, the lion-hearted, 
stood and would not look. It is reported that with 
tears in his eyes he said, u Ah land ! I pray thee that 
I may never see thy holy city of Jerusalem since 
things thus happen, and since I can not take it from 
the hands of thine enemies." With upraised hands 
and averted eyes the warrior turned from the sight 
which gave him shame. It is probable, too, that 
from the very spot on which I stood the Savior of 
men looked upon the city and with breaking heart 
uttered that sad lament over the wicked place. This 
w.is indeed the City of David, the city of so much 
love and sorrow, which had wrung from the lips of 



ARRIVAL IN THE CITY. 



181 



prophets, kings and scribes, prayers and expressions 
of unequalled passion, agony and love, and from ban- 
ished citizens songs of the deepest longing. 

We passed down the road over which, no doubt, 
the Savior had often gone when he visited his friends 
at Bethany; the Garden of Gethsemane we left to 
the right as we crossed the dry torrent bed of the 
Kedron, and continued along the eastern wall of the 
city. On this side is the Golden or Beautiful Gate, 
which has been closed by the Turks, who say the 
Christians will come in by that gate when they con- 
quer the city. The Jews say it is closed until the 
Messiah shall come, he will enter thereby. We con- 
tinued our march around the northern wall of the 
city past the Damascus Gate to our hotel which is 
outside the walls. Here we took off our shoes, 
wrung the water out of our socks and some of our 
other garments and hung them up to dry. The next 
day we were prepared to see the most noted city in 
the world. The present city is surrounded by a wall 
varying in height from twenty-five to forty feet and 
from ten to fifteen feet in thickness. These walls 
were built by Sultan Suleiman in the sixteenth cen- 
tury. A path runs all around on the top of this wall 
from which one can get very satisfactory views of the 
city. It is very likely that many of the stones used 
in the construction of this wall were the remains of 
ancient structures. The line of the old wall has not 
been located as yet, but in all probability a portion 
of the present wall is on that of the old. 

It is difficult to determine the sites of many places 
in the city because it is a known fact that the old 
Jerusalem lies many feet below the present, being 
covered by the rubbish of many generations. The 



182 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



ancient city lies at some points at least a hundred 
feet below the present city. Shafts have been sunk 
and various observations testify to the fact that the 
old city was deeply buried. From the configuration 
of the land, and the descriptions we have of ancient 
Jerusalem, it would seem that the city was divided 
into two parts, and built on nearly parallel ridges. 
These ridges had their head toward the north. 
Between them lay the Tyropoean Valley, or Valley 
of the Cheesemongers. The highest of these ridges 
was the western, known as Mount Zion. The eastern 
ridge was Mount Moriah, on which the temple stood. 
It was on Zion that Herod the Great reared the pal- 
ace in which Jesus stood before Pilate. According 
to the descriptions we have of it the building must 
have been of vast size, and was constructed wholly of 
marble. The interior decorations were of variegated 
marble set with precious stones. The banqueting 
hall of this palace had room for three hundred guests. 
The whole building was surrounded with most beau- 
tiful gardens. All the art of the day was called into 
requisition to make this one of the most lovely spots 
in all the land. 

The city of to-day has five gates. The one near 
the Tower of David is called the Jaffa Gate, because 
the road from Jaffa enters here. The Damascus Gate 
is on the north, St. Stephens on the east. Besides 
these there is the Zion Gate and the one leading 
down to Siloam. I entered by the Jaffa Gate. Before 
the gate is reached you pass a number of shops where 
olive wood is fashioned into numerous trinkets, there 
are also a number of cafes. Here, too, you see dirty 
Turks, squatted on the streets, smoking their pipes 
and looking as contented as kings. It is quite a 



TOWER OF DAVID. 



i8a 



lively scene. Dogs, camels, donkeys, men, women, 
children and invisible fleas all mingled together in 
promiscuous confusion. Through such a motley 
crowd you press through the gate and are in the 
Holy City. The first object of interest to which your 
attention is called is the Tower of David which 
stands close by the Jaifa Gate. The lower portion of 
this tower shows great antiquity, being built of large 
stones with a deep bevel around the edges. It is 
doubtful whether this is the old Tower of David, 
though the foundation may have been built out of 
the original material after the overthrow of the city. 
The common theory is that the lower part was built 
by the Jebu sites, the middle part by David, and the 
upper by Herod. It may be possible that our Savior 
often passed by this structure and looked upon its 
massive stones. 

Zion street passes east of the tower to the Zion 
Gate, which is situated on the highest point of the 
Zion ridge. This was at one time the stronghold of 
the Jebusites, but was eventually taken by David 
and occupied by him. It was in this vicinity that 
the ark was kept before the temple was built. It 
was on this hill also where the house and gardens of 
Solomon were. What centuries of time and history 
circle about this old tower. You think of its ancient 
glory which contrasts so sadly with its present squal- 
or. You think of its nearly twenty sieges and of the 
terrible suffering endured. You remember God's 
many mercies, how the city at times was taken, and 
how again God wonderfully preserved it. Byron 
gives us in one of his noble odes, the result of one of 
these sieges, and which is so succinctly described in 
II. Kings, when Sennacherib came up against the 



184 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



city. "It came to pass that night, that the angel of 
the Lord smote a hundred fourscore and five thousand; 
and when they arose early in the morning, behold, 
they were all dead corpses." 

The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, 
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; 
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, 
When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. 

Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, 
That host with their banners at sunset were seen; 
Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blown, 
That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. 

For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, 
And breathed on the face of the foe as he pass'd; 
And the eyes of the sleepers wax'd deadly and chill, 
And their hearts but once heaved, and forever were still ! 

And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, 
But through it there roll'd not the breath of his pride; 
And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, 
And cold as the spray of the rock-beaten surf. 

And there lay the rider distorted and pale, 
With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail; 
And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, 
The lances uplifted, the trumpet unblown. 

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, 
And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; 
And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, 
Hath melted like snow at the glance of the Lord. 

The western side of the city is about 110 feet high- 
er than the eastern, so the streets, if they may so be 
called, running from the west all have a slope to the 
east. The streets are by no means long, they could 
not be, as will be seen by the dimensions of the city 
as given by Geikie. "From north to south it is 
almost 1,200 yards from the Damascus gate to the 
Zion Gate, and it is about 700 yards from the Jaffa 
Gate, on the west, to the temple grounds on the east. 
Add to this a square of less than 400 yards, joining 
the north end of the temple space, and you have the 



THE VIA DOLOROSA. 



185 



entire city : the area once sacred to the temple, 
which also is within the walls, filling up an extra 300 
yards or so of breadth, and a length of about 500 
yards. The walk round the walls, which, of course, 
encloses everything — monasteries, gardens, temple 
space, citadel, streets and churches — is about two 
miles and a half." The streets are narrow and in 
most cases paved with cobblestone, making it very 
rough walking, and still more so riding. There are 
but few streets that are frequented by travelers, such 
as David Street, Christian Street, Street of the Patri- 
arch, St. Stephen Street, and the Via Dolorosa, which 
is simply an eastern continuation of the street of the 
Holy Sepulchre. The Via Dolorosa is famous 
because of the tradition that Jesus passed that way 
when he went from the judgment hall of Pilate to 
the place of -crucifixion. At intervals there are 
stations indicated by marble slabs in the walls of the 
houses and at which pilgrims pray as they follow the 
Savior on his sorrowful journey. But how can it be 
possible to locate even the streets of the city in the 
time of Christ when the old city lies buried so far 
under the rubbish? At one place there is a stone in 
the wall of a Saracen house which has been kissed 
smooth by the pilgrims, because tradition says that 
here the Savior fell under the weight of his heavy 
cross. And it was here the pious matron who gave 
her scarf to wipe his heated brow, received as her 
reward the sacred imprint of his countenance. The 
legend runs thus: When the Savior toiled up the 
Via Dolorosa, a holy woman wiped his brow with a 
napkin, to repay which act of kindness the saint 
received upon the cloth a miraculous impression or 
image of the Savior's countenance. True image is in 

13 



186 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Latin Verum Icon, and this name, applied at first to 
this wonderful picture, was transferred with differ- 
ence of euphony and gender into "Veronica," and 
given as the name of the saintly matron herself. 

Not far from the Damascus Gate there are several 
large mounds of ashes which were supposed by some 
to have been the refuse of soap works. But others 
who have investigated more fully are of the opinion 
that these heaps are the ashes from the altar of the 
temple. Analysis reveals animal matter in the 
deposits, and this has led to the belief that the ashes 
and remains of the sacrifices in the temple were 
carried to this place. One of these mounds covers 
nearly a quarter of an acre. 

A short distance from this Damascus Gate is the 
entrance to what is known as the Quarries of Solo- 
mon. Whether the quarries date back to the days of 
that king is simply conjecture. And yet it may be 
possible that the stone for the temple were cut and 
fashioned here. The quarries seem to be a succes- 
sion of irregular chambers, vast in extent and over 
which lies that part of Jerusalem north of the Via 
Dolorosa, and east of the street leading to the 
Damascus Gate. Here and there are rude pillars or 
columns which were left to support the roof. At 
some points there are deep pits, the lowest being at 
least 150 feet. It required a vast amount of labor to 
excavate this place. The marks of the chisel and 
pick are as fresh to-day as though they had been 
made but a few days ago. Some of the blocks of 
stone have been but half cut away, and one wonders 
whether the workmen were called away in the midst 
of their labor. The condition of these quarries would 
indicate that the stone were dressed there, ready for 



QUARRIES OF SOLOMON. 



187 



the building for which they were intended. The 
floor of the different caverns is covered with chips 
hewn from the stone. 

What great numbers of men must have toiled here, 
many of them, too, without pay, more than the mere 
food necessary to keep them alive. A recent writer 
says: "How many lives must have been worn out 
in these gJoomy abysses! Shards of pottery — per- 
haps the vessels in which they once put their humble 
meals — with fragments of charcoal, and of long 
decayed wood, and the skeletons of men and animals, 
were found in the quarries when they were re-discov- 
ered, some thirty-five years ago. Mches in the rock, 
and spots black with the smoke of lamps or candles, 
show wmere, thousands of years ago, a feeble light 
shone out on the pinched features and worn frames 
of the lonely toilers, the equals, after a few years, of 
Solomon in the dusty commonwealth of death, in 
spite of all his glory while he lived, and of all their 
sweat and misery at his hand." 

If the stone from these quarries were used for the 
temple, then we can the better understand the sacred 
writer when he says, " The house, when it was build- 
ing, was built of stone made ready before it was 
brought thither; so that there was neither hammer 
nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house, 
while it was building. 

" No workman's steel, no ponderous axes rung :— 
Like some tall palm the noiseless fabric sprung." 

It is supposed that many of the inhabitants of the 
city retired to these subterranean caverns during the 
siege of Titus, as they are large enough to contain 
the entire population. But this also is only a matter 
of speculation. 



188 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Some of the street scenes are both amusing and 
interesting, and you have a good opportunity of 
studying the character and customs of the people. 
You see here the oriental in his long gown and tur- 
baned headgear. If he be a Mohammedan he has a 
white roll about the turban. The Jew has generally 
a peculiar fur cap, and claims to be a direct descend- 
ant of the Pharisees. The Turk is known by his red 
fez, and the Nubian by the slave marks on his face. 
The streets are narrow as in all the oriental cities, 
and most of the trading is done on the street. The 
bazars are not unlike those of other cities of the East, 
and the different trades seem to have distinct quar- 
ters. The tailors have one portion, the shoemakers 
another ; they make a great many slippers out of red 
and yellow leather. At one place you see many 
dried figs, dates and various kinds of vegetables. 
The venders of beads and trinkets seem to be univer- 
sal. At the hotels they smile upon you, in the 
churches and sacred places they are ready to show 
the best and cheapest wares. The streets are lined 
with them. They are about the first business men 
you see as you enter the city, and the last as you 
leave. They run after you for a half mile and say 
you will be sorry if you don't buy. It is probable 
that this separation of the different trades existed 
even in ancient Jerusalem, for we read of the 
" Baker's street," and the street or quarter of the 
" Goldsmiths." You may see also the blacksmiths 
congregated together on one street. Their bellows is 
made of a goat skin, and most of them sit on the 
floor as they beat their iron on a small anvil. At 
once you call to mind the fact that working in iron 
was at one time forbidden to the Hebrews : " Now 



GOSPEL MEASURE. 



189 



there was no smith found throughout all the land of 
Israel : for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews 
make them swords or spears. But all the Israelites 
went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man 
his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mat- 
tock." 

In passing by the stalls of the grain merchants we 
saw them measuring out grain, and had an illustra- 
tion of the words, " Give, and it shall be given unto 
you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken 
together, and running over, shall men give into your 
bosom." The seller fills up the measure, then shakes 
it down, then fills it again ; then presses it down with 
his hands, heaps on as much as he can and then turns 
it over to the buyer. This custom is prevalent 
through the whole land. 

A visit to the Jewish quarter on the eastern slope 
of Zion does not give you an exalted idea of the 
cleanliness of the Jews. The streets in this section 
are perhaps the filthiest in Jerusalem, and one can 
hardly see how they live in such a stench. The con- 
dition of the Jews is a mean one, and while this was 
once their city, now they are only tolerated in it. 
Their opinion is that the final judgment will take 
place in the Yalley of Jehoshaphat, and they come 
here not so much to live as to die, so that they may 
be buried with their brethren where that awful scene 
will take place. The personal appearance of the 
Jews of Palestine is singularly repulsive, and they 
have little energy. There is a marked contrast 
between them and the trim looking and active Israel- 
ites in the markets of London or Paris. The height 
of their ambition seems to be to practice usury, to 
serve as guides, and to hawk relics and curiosities 



190 UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 

among travelers. They have been looked down 

uponfand oppressed and vilified for 

wonder that a race that has for so many centuries 

been treated as dogs should become as dogs! We 

hope a better day will speedily come for these 




THE WAILINGiPLACE OF THE JEWS. 

benighted people, when the long odium and oppres- 
sion of ages ^ be thr0 ™ ° ff aud ^ ™ ^ 
12 'place of interest is the Wall Lof ^ament, 
tion or Wailing Place of the Jews. This is to tiie 
soXesT i the Mosque of Omar. This wall dmdes 



WAILING PLACE. 



191 



the Jewish quarter on one side from the temple pre- 
cincts, and the lower stones are of the original wall 
built by Solomon. Here you see massive blocks, 
deeply beveled, and similar to those in the founda- 
tion of the Tower of David. By this wall the Jews 
assemble every Friday, to wail over the departed 
glory of their temple and city. But you can see 
them there almost any day. Why Friday is the day 
usual for this lamentation, I have not been able to 
learn. It is indeed a touching sight to see these poor 
people go down to this place, lay their heads against 
the wall and kiss the stones thereof, while the tears 
roll down their cheeks. 

While we were there I noticed a woman, compara- 
tively young in years, with her face pressed against 
\the wall and weeping most bitterly. The cause of 
her special sorrow was that several years before, her 
sister had been converted to the Mohammedan faith, 
and now she was lamenting and praying that the 
Lord might bring her back. Her distress seemed to 
be genuine, and I have no doubt the majority are 
really in earnest when they weep and pray for the 
restoration of their city and temple. There is a sort 
of litany which a rabbi and the people repeat alter- 
nately. The following is a specimen : 
Rabbi. — Because of the palace, which is laid waste, 
People. — We sit here in solitude, and mourn. 
Rabbi. — Because of the temple, which is destroyed ; 

Because of the walls broken down; 

Because of our glory which has departed ; 

Because of our great men that have perished; 

Because of our priests who have fallen ; 

Because of our kings, who are despised; 
People. — We sit alone here, and weep. 



192 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Rabbi. — We beseech thee, take pity on Zion ! 
People. — Make haste to save Jerusalem! 
Rabbi. — Re-establish the majesty of thy people. 
People. — Comfort those who weep for the Holy City. 
Rabbi. — May peace and prosperity return to Zion ! 

What a strange and sad delusion this is of the 
Jews. They can not give up their loved Jerusalem. 
Broken, and scattered as they are to all quarters of 
the globe, conquered again and again, but never sub- 
dued, they still hold firmly to the hope that the God 
of their fathers will come and deliver them from their 
enemies, and restore to them their former glory. 
This hope sustains them. They are glad to pay for 
the privilege of coming to weep at what seems to 
them the last remnant of their temple, and deem it a 
great honor to be buried near the city from where, 
with countless numbers of their fellowmen, they will 
arise when God restores their nation to glory. 



CHAPTER XV. 



JERUSALEM. 



SACRED PLACES. — CHURCH OF HOLY SEPULCHRE. — PLACE 
OF CRUCIFIXION. — HOLY FIRE. — MOSQUE OF 
OMAR. — THE GOLDEN GATE. — STA- 
BLES OF SOLOMON. 

TTTHILE it would be a great satisfaction to be 



certain as to the sites of many of the sacred 



places mentioned in the Word of God, yet on 
the other hand when I remember the superstition 
and fanaticism which has made them objects of 
worship, I am not surprised that God in his wisdom 
has hidden some of these places from us. Such has 
always been the course of God's dealings with us, for 
he knows well the carnality of men's hearts, and how 
prone they are to transfer the worship of a spirit into 
a superstitious reverence for places and things visible. 
These thoughts came to me as I set out in search of 
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and after one has 
seen that so-called place of worship he is more than 
ever impressed with the fact that it was wisdom on 
the part of God to conceal as much as he has. What 
you see there is nothing short of idolatry. Was it 
not for this cause that the tomb of Moses, the great 
law-giver was expressly concealed from Israel, and 
that the greatest of the prophets, Elijah, was taken 
unburied into heaven? And if the sepulchre where- 




194 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



in Christ lav, be also concealed from mortal gaze and 
blind superstition, can we wonder when we see the 
trash and trumpery, the ignorance, fanaticism, and 
idolatry which hide and disfigure and pollute the 
fancied Calvarj^ and the marble chapel which has 
been called the Holy Sepulchre ? 

We walked down David Street, or rather alley, a 
short distance until we reached Christian Street 
where we turned north. Here we pass the shops of 
the Christian tailors, shoemakers, etc., but we are in 
search neither of tailor nor shoemaker, be he Chris- 
tian, Mohammedan or Jew. The object of our search 
is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We find it 
shortly, for having turned to the right on a very nar- 
row street, which runs down hill we came into an 
open paved space before the church. Here were mul- 
titudes of traders, with large supplies of souvenirs in 
mother-of-pearl and olive wood. They know that 
tourists want something made out of the wood from 
the Mount of Olives, and they have it. Why should 
they not? Their business is to lie and cheat as 
well as sell. Everything comes from the Mount of 
Olives, and yet except the few trees in the Garden of 
Gethsemane there are not a dozen trees on the whole 
mount, and it is doubtful whether a foot of the wood 
has been cut on that eminence in the last hundred 
years. The logic of these traders is most convincing. 
You ask "does the wood out of which this box is 
made come from the Mount of Olives V "Certainly 
sir, or it would not be called olive wood." That is 
enough, you buy at once and go away with your 
treasure. 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as its name 
implies, is supposed to be built over the sepulchre in 



CHURCH OF HOLY SEPULCHRE. 



195 



which our Lord was buried. The building is quite 
ancient, and neither without nor within has any spec- 
ial beauty to recommend it. And yet the front of 
the church as it looms up before you is impressive 
because of its great antiquity. You enter the large 
door and find an old Turk keeping guard. Just with- 
in the entrance is the Stone of Unction which is said 
to be the very stone on which our Lord's body was 
anointed before burial. You see devout pilgrims 
kneel down before this stone, kiss it and feel it as 
though it were a living being. Passing the Stone of 
Unction on the- right you come to a small chapel 
below the level of the ground which is called Calvary, 
where the legend says the crosses were found. 

The Empress Helena visited Jerusalem about 326 
A. D. She made diligent inquiry for the site of the 
crucifixion, and was shown this spot. In order that 
there might be no doubt about it three crosses and a 
clay placard containing the inscription which Pilate 
wrote, were exhumed in the presence of the Empress. 
This then was considered the true spot, and her son 
Constantine built over it the first Church of the Holy 
Sepulchre. Under an altar in the chapel you are 
pointed to the three holes, in the rock said to be the 
ones in which the three crosses rested, but the holes 
are by far too near together to be used as receptacles 
for the crosses. You also see the fissure in the rock 
which is considered a convincing proof that this was 
Golgotha. The crack is there it is true, but it was 
evidently caused by some natural convulsion. The 
evangelists do not designate any particular place 
where "the rocks rent," but speak of it generally. 
You are shown here also the skull of Adam, the 
post to which Jesus was tied when scourged, the 



196 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



spot on which Mary stood when she witnessed the 
crucifixion, and many other things, all of which are 
improbable. 

It might be interesting to the reader to know the 
various objects of interest in this church, and so I will 
name them in the order in which they are usually 
seen. 1, The Stone of Unction; 2, Station of the 
Virgin; 3, Chapel of the Angel; 4, The Holy Sepul- 
chre; 5, Well of Helena; 6, Place where Christ 
appeared to Mary; 7, Place of the recognition of the 
true cross; 8, Pillar of Flagellation; 9, Prison in 
which Christ rested for a short time before his cruci- 
fixion; 10, Center of the earth; 11, Altar of pentitent 
thief; 12, Chapel of the mocking; 13, Tomb of God- 
frey; 14, Tomb of Baldwin; 15; Tomb of Melchizedek; 
16, Rent in Rock. There are still some others but 
they have escaped my mind. All these under one 
roof. It makes it very convenient for the traveler. 
He need not run over the whole country to see the 
places of interest, and of course you are expected to 
believe it all. 

The principal object of this church, however, is the 
Holy Sepulchre itself, to see this and worship it, 
thousands of pilgrims from*every country of Eastern 
Christendom have come. You see here Armenians, 
Copts, Ab} T ssinians, Russians, Syrians, and Arabs, all 
in their peculiar costume pouring out their devotion 
in the most fervid manner. The sepulchre is in the 
center of the church, an oblong tomb into which you 
pass through a low entrance. When once within you 
find it divided into two small chapels, the inner one 
being the spot where the body of the Lord is said to 
have rested. The fact that the doorway is so low and 
that there are two chambers, the inner one of which 



TRADITIONAL SITE OF CALVARY. 



197 



was the tomb would have prevented the possibility 
of any one seeing two angels, one at the head 
and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had 
lain. It is hardly credible that this is the tomb of 
Joseph which was in a garden near by the place of 
crucifixion. So it is doubtful whether Calvary was 
where it is pointed out to be. 

There are, however, not a few who maintain that 
this is the true site of Calvary. The arguments urged 
in favor of it are, that it has been so regarded from 
the earliest ages. It is affirmed that there were 
Christians living at the time the church was built 
who must have been acquainted with those who knew 
some of the disciples of the Lord and who would 
most certainly know the place of crucifixion and 
burial. Chateaubriand testifies, "That the holy 
places were generally known in the time of Hadrian, 
A. D. 137, is demonstrated by an undeniable fact. 
That emperor, when he rebuilt J erusalem, erected 
a statue of Yenus on Mount Calvary and another to 
Jupiter on the Holy Sepulchre." 

Eusebius, one of the church fathers, born in Caes- 
erea, not more than fifty miles from Jerusalem, and 
who was present at the dedication of the Church of 
the Holy Sepulchre, testifies that this is the site. 
He says : u The grave itself was a cave that had evi- 
dently been hewn out; a cave that had now been 
cut out of the rock, and which experienced no other 
body. For it is interesting to see even the rock, 
standing out erect and alone on a level land, and 
having only one cavern within it, lest had there been 
many the miracle of him who overcame death should 
have been obscured." 

It is said that Constantine found a temple to Yenus 



198 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



over the grave and when this was taken away the 
cave where the body of Jesus had lain was brought 
to view, and that he cut away the surrounding rock^ 
leaving nothing but the walls of the cave, had them 
encased in beautiful marble, and erected over the 
place a most beautiful building. The English 
Ordnance Survey, declares that the appearance of 
the locality is in harmony with the tradition. I find 
the following language in the report: "The sepul- 
chre in which the body of our Lord was laid, was 
originally a nearly square chamber of about six feet 
in length and breadth and about nine feet high. It 
lies nearly east and west; and on the north side there 
is a low bench, on which the body was laid. The 
entrance to the chamber was by a very low passage 
leading into the south side from the east. The sepul- 
chre was cut into the natural rock, but when the 
Emperor Constantine, at the instigation of his mother 
Helena, determined to do honor to this sacred spot, 
he is said to have caused the rock all around the 
sepulchre to be cut away to form a spacious inclosure 
round it, leaving the sepulchre itself standing in the 
midst, and an examination of the ground fully sus- 
tains this description." This seems to be about the 
only testimony in favor of the traditional site of the 
crucifixion. This testimony is not sufficient to con- 
vince me that this is the true site of Calvary. There 
is no definite statement in the New Testament as to 
where Calvary was, but it is distinctly stated that 
the place where Jesus was crucified was "nigh to 
the city," and that he suffered "without the gate." 
It was also near a public road where the multitude 
could see it. It was also a hill having very likely 
the shape of a skull. It was also near a garden in 



TRUE SITE OF CALVARY. 



199 



which was a rock-hewn tomb. These facts would not 
lead us to infer that Golgotha was within the walls 
of the city. The advocates of the traditional site 
maintain that at that time the site was without the 
walls. But Captain Warren has lately shown that 
the existing walls are laid on the courses of old ones. 
And as the city was much larger in the time of Christ 
than it is now, there can hardly be a doubt but that at 
that time the site of the church was within the walls. 

In view of these facts Calvary must be sought for 
somewhere outside of the city walls. The most like- 
ly place is that oh the knoll over the Grotto of Jere- 
miah. This is on the north side of the city and not 
far from the Damascus Gate. It is also near a public 
thoroughfare. There is still another site pointed out 
several miles north-west of the city. But the dis- 
tance is not consistent with the statement that it was 
"nigh to the city." I think that time will confirm 
the place just beyond the northern gate as the hill 
upon which Jesus was crucified. Criminals were 
usually executed outside of the cities and near the 
public roads, and here at this spot Jesus was in all 
probability put to death. Geikie says: "Before him 
lay outspread the guilty city which had clamored for 
his blood; beyond it the pale slopes of Olivet, from 
which he was shortly to ascend in triumph to the 
right hand of the Majesty on high; and in the dis- 
tance, but clear and seemingly near, the pinkish yel- 
low mountains of Moab, lighting up, it maybe, the 
fading eyes of the Innocent One with the remem- 
brance that his death would one day bring back lost 
mankind — not Israel alone — from the east, and the 
west, and the north, and the south, to the kingdom 
of God." 



200 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Not having any positive and exact testimony as to 
the place, it may never be known. Perhaps it were 
well if it would not, as it would certainly be an object 
of idolatry. But as I stood in the old church and 
looked upon the sepulchre there I could not help but 
think, if Christ did not suffer here, if he was not buri- 
ed in this sepulchre, yet we know that the power of 
his cross, his grave and his resurrection for hundreds 
of years have brought an innumerable company of 
our fellowmen to shed tears at the place where they 
believe he suffered and conquered. 

One of the most monstrous and most prominent of 
the pious frauds connected with the Church of the 
Holy Sepulchre is the "Holy Fire," which is said to 
be sent from heaven every Greek Easter. A hole on 
each side of the entrance of the sepulchre shows from 
where the fire comes. This is a strange delusion. 
Thousands of persons stand there all night long to 
have the opportunity on the next day to light their 
tapers at the "Holy Fire." So great is the confusion 
and so violent the attempt to be the first to get the 
fire that it has become necessary to have at least a 
hundred soldiers to keep order, or make an attempt 
to. In 1834 about two hundred persons were 
trampled and smothered to death about the sepulchre 
in the stampede that took place. Thompson who 
witnessed the affair says: "I will not shock your 
sensibilities with details of the buffoonery and the 
profane orgies performed by the Greeks around the 
tomb on the day of the Holy Fire. I doubt whether 
there is anything more disgraceful to be witnessed in 
any heathen temple." Geikie says: "Two priests 
stood, bare-headed, by the Fire-hole, protected by the 
gigantic guardians at their side. Suddenly a great 



THE HOLY FIRE. 



201 



lighted torch was in their hands, passed from the 
Patriarch within, and with this, the two gigantic men 
turned to the crowd; they and their guard trampling 
like furies through it. In a moment the thin line of 
soldiers was lost in the two great waves of human 
beings, who pressed from each side to the torch, 
which blazed over them, now high, now low, as it 
slowly made its way to the outside of the church. In 
its slow and troubled advance, hundreds of hands 
with candles, were thrust out towards it, but none 
could be lighted in such a rocking commotion. Pres- 
ently, however, other lighted torches were passed out 
of the fire-hole, and from these the pilgrims, in eager 
excitement, more and more widely succeeded in 
kindling their tapers, but woe to the owner of the 
one first lit; it was snatched from him, and extinguish- 
ed by a dozen others thrust into it." 

Dean Stanley, who witnessd this Easter ceremony, 
speaks of it in this fashion : " Silent — awfully silent 
— in the midst of this frantic uproar, stands the 
Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. If anyone could at 
such a moment be convinced of its genuineness, or 
could expect a display of miraculous power, assured- 
ly it would be that its very stones would cry out 
against the wild fanaticism without, and wretched 
fraud within, by which it is at that hour desecrated. 
At last the moment comes. A bright flame as of 
burning wood appears inside the hole — the light, as 
every educated Greek knows and acknowledges, 
kindled by the bishop within — the light, as every 
pilgrim believes, of the descent of God himself upon 
the Holy Tomb. Any distinct feature or incident is 
lost in the universal whirl of excitement which envel- 
opes the church as slowly, gradually, the fire spreads 

14 



202 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



from hand to hand, from taper to taper, through the 
vast multitude — till at last the whole edifice from 
gallery to gallery, and through the area below, is one 
wide blaze of thousands of burning candles. It is 
now that, according to some accounts, the Bishop or 
Patriarch is carried out of the chapel, in triumph, on 
the shoulders of the people, in a fainting state, to 
give the impression that he is overcome by the glory 
of the Almighty, from whose immediate presence he 
is believed to come." 

I was not fortunate enough to be in Jerusalem 
during this ceremony. But what I saw in the Church 
of the Holy Sepulchre was sufficient to convince me 
that the priests were successful in deluding the 
people to a wonderful extent, and that their religion 
consisted mostly of ceremonies. 

Long ago the prophet wrote : " O God, the heathen 
have come into thine inheritance, thy holy temple 
defiled, and made Jerusalem a heap of stone." This 
has been literally fulfilled. The heathen have over- 
run it, and surely it is a heap of stones. One can not 
help but think thus as you look upon the city from 
the east and see, instead of the glorious temj3le, the 
Mosque of Omar. This is one of the most beautiful 
mosques in all the orient, and it will not be possible 
for me to give a full description of it. Its walls are 
adorned with marbles of delicate color, and the 
dome is roofed with tiles of brilliant blue, with some 
green and yellow. Within, the mosque is most 
beautiful. A circle of marble pillars enclose the 
rough rock top of Mount Moriah, and support the 
inner part of the dome. This rock is supposed by 
some to have been that upon which the altar of the 
temple stood. 



TOP OF MOUNT MORI AM. 



203 



On this spot David offered a sacrifice when he pur- 
chased the " threshing-floor of Oman." This rock is 
irregular in form, measuring sixty feet one way and 
fifty the other. The Mohammedans say that from 
the spot where the mosque now stands the prophet 
ascended to heaven. There is no certainty as to the 
date of the erection of this mosque, though some 
inscriptions indicate that it was built about the year 
A. D. 688. The walls and dome are ablaze with 
color, and in every respect it is the most beautiful 
building in Palestine, and in fact there are very few, 
if any mosques, superior to it. Underneath this rock 
a channel has been discovered which was cut in the 
solid rock, and supposed to have been the drain 
through which ran the blood of the sacrifices on the 
altar. Underneath there is also a cave, the floor of 
which sounds hollow, which, has given rise to the 
legend that the mountain is suspended in the air. 
Fergusson is of the opinion that this is the Church of 
the Eesurrection built by Constantine over the 
sepulchre of our Lord. 

Thomson, in speaking of the mosque, says : " The 
beauty of the interior of the mosque is greatly 
marred by numberless contrivances for illuminating 
the edifice, and by railings and galleries which seem 
to answer no particular end. The greatest curiosity 
is certainly the immense stone from which the name, 
Es Sakhrah, the rock, is derived. It is a mass of 
native rock, the sole remnant of the top of the ridge 
of Moriah, some sixty feet long by fifty-five wide, 
and ten or twelve feet high on the lower side. All 
the rest of the ridge was cut away when levelling 
off the platform for the temple and its courts. No 
tool of iron has left its mark upon this Sakhrah, and 



204 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



I please myself with the idea that it was the basis 
on which the altar of sacrifice was arranged." 

There is a difference of opinion whether the temple 
stood on the site of the Mosque of Omar or whether 
it stood where now stands the smaller Mosque El 
Aksa. It is probable that the latter was the place as 
the substructions seems to indicate. We were per- 
mitted to descend beneath the mosque, into the very 
same gallery which led to the old temple, and up 
which our Lord, no doubt, walked more than once. 
It is now half filled with rubbish. The ceiling is 
very high, but the ground level is still far below. 

At the southeast corner of this wall Captain War- 
ren made some excavation and thought he found the 
corner-stone laid by the workmen of Solomon nearly 
3,000 years ago. On some of the stones he found 
curious characters of wJiich he says, "The general 
impression resulting from the examination of these 
marks is that they are the quarry marks, and were 
made before the stones were placed in position. If 
this be the case, then the stones must have been 
dressed previously to their having been brought from 
the quarries." 

Here, too, we saw what is supposed to have been 
the Golden Gate, looking eastward toward Olivet. 
The carving was fine, as was also the work on the 
stone arches above. The gate is now walled up. A 
traveler who visited the place over forty years ago, 
says, "If from the Mount of Olives Jesus would enter 
into the temple, the gate of the east would certainly 
be his course, being directly opposite ; that is, if the 
gate now called by Franks the Golden Gate, occupies 
the position of the ancient one. It is evidently an 
ancient gateway, rebuilt into the wall by the Sara- 



THE GOLDEN GATE. 



205 



cens ; the architecture is Roman, and the workman- 
ship very beautiful. There is. therefore, strong 
ground for believing it to be the very gate by which 
our Lord must so often have entered the temple, 
when coming from Bethany, or the Mount of Olives. 
It was with this solemn thought that I often stood 
beneath those time worn stones, and pondered on the 
scenes transacted here since those acanthus leaves 
were carved upon the block. How bright and new 
they were when loud hosannas upon yonder Olivet 
announced the coming Messiah! How soon they 
trembled with the quaking earth and rending rocks! 
Perhaps it was some besieging Roman follower of 
Titus who broke that fretted moulding, or some 
victorious destroyer that marred that capital, again 
perchance to be restored to its pilaster, to grace the 
entrance to the idol fane of Jupiter. Spared by the 
showy piety of Constantine, and by the infidel device 
of Julian, this venerable gateway decorated at last 
the restored wall of Suleiman." There is a legend 
among the people that whenever the Christians enter 
the holy city it will be by this gateway. 

The stables of Solomon which are underneath the 
platform along the eastern wall are full of interest. 
They had been filled with rubbish, but this is being 
removed, and the huge pillars supporting the plat- 
form above are many in number. Whether this 
place was used for the purpose mentioned is not cer- 
tain, but the supposition is that it was used as a 
stable by the crusaders in after years, as the halter 
rings in the pillars intimate. The original intention 
of these galleries was, undoubtedly, to raise the level 
of the valley, and the many pillars were intended to 
support the platform on which the temple was built. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



JERUSALEM. 



TOMB OF DAVID. — THE UPPER ROOM. — ROBINSON^ ARCH. 
— THE POOLS. — TOMBS IN VALLEY OF JEHOSHA- 
PHAT. — GETHSEMANE. — MOUNT OF OLIVES. 
— BETHANY. — POPULATION. 

OIGRTSEEING in Jerusalem is attended with 



some difficulties, chief of which is that of walk- 



ing\ There are no carriages to carry you from 
point to point, besides the streets are paved with 
rough stone, and so uneven that it is impossible for 
you to walk securely or very fast. One thing is in 
your favor, the city is not very large, a brisk walk of 
two hours will carry you entirely around the city 
outside of the walls. We hobbled down some narrow 
streets to a small mosque in which is shown you 
what is called the tomb of David. If you wish to 
believe that this is the tomb of that great king you 
are at liberty to do so, but it is a well known fact 
that David had constructed a series of rock-hewn 
tombs for himself and his descendants somewhere in 
the Tyropoean Valley. When the Acts of the Apos- 
tles was written these tombs were still well known, 
but later they were lost, and it may be that research 
will once more bring them to light. No Christian is 
permitted to enter this tomb, so we satisfied ourselves 
with a look through the bars. 

This tomb is one of the most remarkable in the 
city, and there is perhaps better evidence that it is 




TOMB OF DAVID. 207 

the burial place of David than that the Holy Sepul- 
chre is that of Christ. Some years ago a lady was 
permitted to enter the sacred chamber, and says of 
it : " The room is insignificant in its dimensions, but 
is furnished very gorgeously. The tomb is apparent- 
ly an immense sarcophagus of rough stone, and is 
covered by green satin tapestry, richly embroidered 
with gold. A satin canopy of red, blue, green, and 
yellow stripes hangs over the tomb; and another 
piece of black velvet tapestry, embroidered in silver, 
covers a door in one end of the room, which, they 
said, leads to a cave underneath. Two tall silver 
candlesticks stand before this door, and a little lamp 
hangs in a window near it, which is kept constantly 
burning.'" Still the evidence we have that this is the 
tomb of David is not convincing, and so we accept it 
with allowance. 

In connection with this mosque you are also shown 
the Ccenaculum, a large upper room, which is per- 
haps fifty feet long and twenty-five wide. There are 
a few granite columns in it, and the room is very 
gloomy. There is a tradition which says this is the 
place where Jesus celebrated his last passover and 
instituted the Lord's Supper. Tradition also says 
that it was in this room that the disciples were 
assembled on the Day of Pentecost. On what the 
traditions are based I am not able to say. In the 
fourth century there was a small church there as a 
memorial of these events. I would much rather 
believe that the room shown us was on the site of the 
house in which was the "upper room," than that the 
tomb behind those bars is the tomb of David. If 
this be truly the site of the upper room, then what a 
sacred spot this is. What important events occurred 



ROBINSON'S ARCH. 



209 



in this place. Here the last Passover was celebrated, 
and the Lord's supper instituted. Here, too, that 
lesson in humility was given when he washed the 
feet of his disciples. Here that wonderful and 
pathetic sermon of Jesus was delivered, and here, 
too, an old tradition says the apostles were assembled 
on the Day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was poured 
out upon them. 

From here we passed through the Jewish quarter 
to the ravine which formerly divided Zion from 
Moriah. It was with difficulty that we found our 
way through the patches of the prickly cactus so 
abundant here as well as elsewhere in the land. It 
is used as a hedge, and grows to a height of ten or 
fifteen feet. Pressing through these, we finally came 
upon the object of our search, the arch discovered by 
Dr. Robinson, and named after him, which is sup- 
posed to have been the bridge on which Titus stood 
when he held a parley with the Jews in the temple, 
and is probably the termination of the temple area. 
This bridge probably connected the palace on Mount 
Zion with the temple on Moriah. The stones of this 
arch are very large, one of them twenty-five feet, 
others twenty. The length of the bridge must have 
been no less than three hundred feet, while the 
elevation must have been at least two hundred feet 
above the ravine. It was probably upon this great 
bridge, and some of the magnificent works in the 
vicinity, that the Queen of Sheba looked with such 
wonder that " there was no more spirit in her." It 
was the way by which Solomon went up to the house 
of the Lord. Perhaps there has been no bridge in 
the world upon which there has been such a show of 
royal splendor as upon this. 



210 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The various pools of Jerusalem, both within and 
without the walls, though not of so much importance, 
nevertheless are of considerable interest, and as they 
all seem to be connected with one another, I shall 
mention them together. Perhaps the most ancient is 
the Pool of Gihon, which is southwest of the Jaffa 
Gate, and at the commencement of the water course 
which widens into the Valley of Hinnom. This is 
very likely the upper water course of Gihon, stopped 
by Hezekiah, the water from which as we learn from 
II. Chron. 32: 30, he brought straight down to the 
west side of the city of David. The second or lower 
pool was formed by erecting a great stone embank- 
ment across the Yalley of Hinnom to the west of 
Zion, and is even at present in a good state of preser- 
vation. 

The Pool of Hezekiah is within the city walls a 
short distance south of the Greek Convent. It is 
about 250 feet long and 150 wide. In II. Kings 20 : 
20, we are told that Hezekiah made a pool and a con- 
duit and brought water into the city. The water 
being brought from the Pool of Gihon to supply this 
large reservoir within the city. This aqueduct seems 
also to be mentioned by Isaiah 36 : 2, when the proph- 
et says that " Rabshakeh stood by the conduit of the 
upper pool, in the highway of the fullers field." 
The Pool of Hezekiah is capable of holding some 
3,000,000 gallons of water. We found it in very bad 
repair and but little water in it. In fact it looked 
more like a frog pond than a reservoir for water. In 
the bottom there was a sediment of black mud which 
had been accumulating for ages. The place might 
be cleaned out, but cleaning out anything is an 
innovation of which the Jerusalemites are never 



POOL OF SILO AM. 



211 



guilty. It is said the water is not used for drinking, 
and yet we were credibly informed that when the 
water is low in the cisterns this filthy liquid is made 
use of by many of the people. 

The Pool of Siloam lies in the mouth of the Tyro- 
poean Yalley. It is in a dilapidated condition, and is 
probably fifty feet long, twenty deep and as many 
wide. There seems to have been a church built over 
it at least 1,300 years ago, some of the ruins of which 
are still visible. This was the pool to which Jesus 
sent the poor blind man whose cure is mentioned in 
John 9 : 7, and as it is probable that the Pool of 
Siloam was close to, if not within the wall of the old 
city, it is likely that its margin was often trodden by 
Jesus and his disciples. We saw quite a number of 
women here filling their water pots. 

The water of the pool comes through a small tun- 
nel from the Spring of the Virgin 1,700 feet higher up. 
This tunnel is, perhaps, some of the most ancient 
engineering work of which we have any record. It 
is about two feet wide, and from two to sixteen feet 
in height. A circular shaft was sunk to this tunnel 
from somewhere within the city walls. In case the 
city was besieged and the water supply from without 
cut off it was an easy matter for the city to obtain its 
water out of this shaft. The tunnel is by no means a 
straight one as its many windings distinctly show, 
and there are a number of side branches which can- 
not be accounted for unless it be that the excavators 
found themselves going wrong, and returned to work 
in another direction. In this tunnel there is an 
inscription known since its discovery as the Siloam 
Inscription, which was accidently noticed by a lad 
who had been wading in the channel. The transla- 



212 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



tion of this inscription is as follows: "Behold the 
excavation! Now this is the history of the tunnel. 
While the excavators were lifting up the pick, each 
towards the other, and while there were yet three 
cubits to be broken through . . . the voice of one 
called to his neighbor, for there was an excess in the 
rock on the right. They rose up . . . they struck on 
the west of the excavation — the excavators struck, 
each to meet the other, pick to pick. And then flow- 
ed the waters from their outlet to the Pool, for the 
distance of a thousand cubits, and of a cubit was the 
height of the rock over the excavation here." The 
inscription is evidently very ancient dating back to 
the time of Hezekiah. 

It is almost impossible to realize the great stretch 
of time between then and now, and yet to-day it is 
held in reverence, and pilgrims bathe their eyes and 
faces in it. It was to this pool that the Savior direct- 
ed the blind man to go when he said, u Go wash in 
the pool of Siloam." One finds himself asking the 
question, Is this 

"Siloa's brook, that flowed 
Fast by the oracle of God." 

Isaiah in speaking of this stream says, "the waters 
of Siloah that go softly." While Bishop fleber 
sweetly sang 

"By cool Siloam 's shady rill, 
How fair the lily grows." 

On the slopes south of Siloam, where the valley of 
Hinnom and the Kedron meet were the royal gardens 
of David and Solomon. It certainly was a good 
situation for a garden, for when all else was withered 
by the drought of summer these gardens were fresh 
and green as they were continually moistened by the 



POOL OF BETHESDA. 



213 



water from Siloam. Even Jerome mentions this 
spot and says that in his day there were most beauti- 
ful gardens at this place. To this garden the great 
David and his distinguished son retired during the 
heat of the day to rest under the pleasant shade of 
its trees. 

There has been much dispute as to the location of 
the Pool of Bethesda, and there may be nothing 
definite known as to the site. jSome claim it was 
near the old Tower of Antonia, while others pretend 
to say it was within the walls on the eastern side not 
far from St. Stephen's Gate. It was probably not far 
from the temple, and it has been suggested that the 
occasional redness of the water was due to the fact 
that the carcasses of the sacrifices were washed in it 
before they were offered in the temple. We were 
shown what is supposed to be this pool. It is a large 
basin partly cut in the solid rock, and is 360 feet long 
and 126 wide, and 80 deep. It is nearly filled with 
rubbish, being the dumping place for such filth and 
garbage as is carried from the streets. As I stood 
here looking upon this pool the words of the evangel- 
ist came to me. "Now there is at Jerusalem, by the 
sheep market, a pool, which is called in the Hebrew 
tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these 
lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, 
halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 
For an angel went down at a certain season into the 
pool, and troubled the water; whosoever then first, 
after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was made 
whole of whatsoever disease he had." 

Beginning at the Jaffa Gate we made a circuit of 
the wall. To the south lies the Valley of Hinnom 
where the children were sacrificed to Moloch, and 



214 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



near here too was the '"Field of Blood" or the ''Pot- 
ter's Field." To the south of Hinnom the Hill of 
Evil Counsel is visible. It is said that on this hill 
stood the house of the high priest, Caiaphas, where 
the leaders of the Jews held a consultation and deter- 
mined to destroy Jesus. There are many old tombs 
in the side of the hill on the south side, which was 
probably used as a cemetery in former times. We 
finally come into the Valley of Jehoshaphat. 

In the narrowest portion of the Valley of Jehosha- 
phat is the Jewish cemetery, a dreary looking place, 
and yet the Jews deem it a great privilege to be 
buried there, because they believe that in this vicini- 
ty the great Judgment will be held. Here, too, are 
three ancient tombs. The legendary believers of 
Jerusalem did not know to whom to ascribe these 
sepulchres, so they are given to Absalom, Zechariah, 
and St. James. The tomb of Zechariah is about 
eighteen feet square with a square pillar at each 
corner, and two Ionic pillars and two half pillars on 
each side. The Jews believe this to be the monu- 
ment of Zechariah, who was stoned by command of 
King Joash " in the court of the house of the Lord." 
There is a possibility that Christ, from the opposite 
side of the valley, was looking down upon this tomb 
when he spoke those cutting words : " Woe unto you, 
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because ye build 
the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres 
of the righteous. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto 
yourselves that ye are the children of them which 
killed the prophets." The most imposing of these 
tombs is that of Absalom, which is over forty feet 
high and twenty square. The body of the monument 
is hewn out of the solid rock. Or rather the natural 



TOMB OF ABSALOM. 



215 



rock was hewn away from all sides save the rear 
where it is still attached. It is difficult to say how 
old it is. The Grecian ornaments indicate that in its 
present form it could not be so old as is claimed for 
it. There are many loose stones and much rubbish 
about this tomb, and inquiry reveals the fact that the 
Jews with their children, even to this day, throw 
stones at it. Among the commandments of the Rab- 
bis is one which reads : " If anyone in Jerusalem has 
a disobedient child, he shall take him out to the 
Valley of Jehoshaphat, to Absalom's monument, and 
force him, by words or stripes, to hurl stones at it, 
and curse Absalom ; meanwhile telling him the life 
and fate of that rebellious son." 

The central of these tombs has been assigned to St. 
James. It is said that he retired to this place while 
our Lord was lying in his tomb. Strange to say, that 
here the modern Jew sits and listens, thinking he 
hears the waters of Gehenna, and to that abode of the 
wicked he fancies this to be the entrance. These 
tombs, situated on the hillside in this narrow valley, 
form one of the most picturesque and striking objects 
around Jerusalem. 

We continue our journey up the ravine and soon 
come to an enclosure which has been a sacred spot 
for many ages. The olive trees, the bridge near by, 
the elevated gate of the city opposite, at once bring 
to mind the thought that in this vicinity must have 
been the garden called Gethsemane, to which Jesus 
betook himself on that night after the Supper had 
been instituted. The spot must have been beautiful 
in the days of Christ. It was a retired place, and he 
must have loved it, for he often resorted thither with 
his disciples. But is this really the Gethsemane to 



\ 



216 UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 

which Jesus so often retired and where he endured 
that great agony, and where in his calm submission 
he said : " Father, not my will, but thine be done ? " 
It is difficult to say whether this is the precise spot, 
though it was selected by the Empress Helena in 
A. D. 326, as the exact place. I am willing to believe 
that it was part of that garden or grove, but that it 
originally extended farther up the ravine. The pres- 
ent enclosure seems to me to be too near the city as 
well as the public highway for much seclusion. 

Eusebius, who no doubt conversed with some who 
personally knew the friends of the disciples, speaks 
of Gethsemane as a well known place, to which 
Jerome also adds his testimony. The garden is not 
large, perhaps not more than a third of an acre is 
enclosed within the white walls. There are not over 
a half dozen trees left in the enclosure. They are 
old, gnarled and venerable. So old do they look, 
that, gazing on their wrinkles, you imagine they 
stood there since the time the Savior sought their 
shade. It was told me that the olive lives to be 
nearly a thousand years old, so that these gnarled old 
sentinels may be descendants of the trees that waved 
their branches over the Savior's head, or supported 
his weak and fainting form in that tremendous hour 
of trial, when all the impending horrors of the cross, 
and all the just wrath of God against a sinful world 
were pressing on his soul. The garden is guarded by 
several priests. In fact it is necessar3 r . If this pre- 
caution were not used every leaf, every limb would 
be carried off, yea, I believe the very roots of the 
trees would be taken from the soil and carried off as 
relics. 

Let us now go up the Mount of Olives. The road 



MOUNT OF OLIVES. 



217 



is steep and very rugged. All the way you see loose 
stone walls which divide the land. Some of these 
patches are cultivated, others are too stony to be 
of any use. The ascent is made doubly toilsome on 
account of the fierce rays of the sun, which are 
reflected from the white rocks and loose stones which 
are so abundant everywhere. There are but a few 
straggling olive trees to be seen upon the mountain, 
and you wonder why it was called the Mount of 
Olives. Anciently it was covered with these trees. 
Now you see occasionally a shrub, or a patch of 
green, the rest is rock. With all this desolation it is 
a pleasure to go up these time-worn paths, to sit 
upon the ancient stones and hold mysterious fellow- 
ship with the hillside. More than once did Jesus 
tread these paths; it may be some of these rocks 
were his couch, and when he entered Jerusalem from 
this slope, if men had held their peace, the very 
stones would then for shame have raised the cry, 
" Hosanna to the Son of David." The place is most 
interesting. It was so to me at any rate. I loved to 
sit opposite the city and look down upon its domes 
and towers as once Jesus did, when he looked with 
yearning heart upon the scene before him, and saw 
in the future the destruction of the city. 

A very high tower was in course of construction on 
the top of Olivet, from the top of which one can see 
the Dead Sea in the distance, and the mountains of 
Moab beyond. In an old church you are shown the 
foot prints which our Lord made in the rock when he 
ascended. Originally there were two, but one has 
been stolen, say the guardians. 

One has a good view of Jerusalem from the Mount 
of Olives, and as you are upon that height and look 

15 



218 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



down upon the city, its whole history unrolls before 
you. There are few cities that have suffered so 
many sieges, and that have been destroyed so often. 
It may be of interest to the reader to have the differ- 
ent conquests of the place. B. C. 1420, by the men 
of Judah and Simeon. B. C. 1046, by David. B. 0. 
4 972, by Shishak. B. C. 826, by Jehoash. B. C. 606, 
by Nebuchadnezzar. B. C. 588, by Nebuchadnezzar. 
B. C. 320, by Ptolmey. B. C. 63, by Pompey. B. O. 
37, by Herod. A. D. 70, by Titus. A. D. 134, by 
Julius Severus. A. D. 614, by Chosroes, King of 
Persia. A. D. 629, by Heraclus. A. D. 636, by 
Omar. A. D. 1099, by the Crusaders. A. D. 1137, 
by Saladin ; and in 1517 by Selim. 

It was up the Mount of Olives that David fled with 
his family, when the news of Absalom's rebellion 
reached him. Fish has given a vivid description of 
the flight of the king: "It was at the top of the 
mount that he met Hushai, and had his parting view 
of the rebellious city. It was a little way past the 
top that he encountered Ziba and the asses, laden 
with provisions. It was as he descended the rough 
road on the other side, that ' Shimei went along on 
the side of the mountain over against him, and threw 
stones at him and cast dust.' This mournful proces- 
sion — affecting as it is, and linked with every stage of 
the ascent and descent, comes forcibly to mind upon 
an exact view of the localities. The simple record is : 
'And David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, 
and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, 
and he went bare-foot; and all the people that was 
with him covered every man his head, and they went 
up weeping as they went.' We can almost see the 
king, bare-footed and veiled, escaping through the 



PLACE OF THE ASCENSION. 



219 



East Gate, hastening down into the valley, across the 
brook Kedron, and up thfbugh the highway, crying 
aloud as he climbs. And when from the slopes of 
the way one throws down stones at him, and curses 
him, David says, 'Let him alone! let him curse me; 
the Lord hath bidden him; I deserve it; and maybe 
the Lord will look on my affliction.'" 

There are many places of absorbing interest about 
this mount, and one loves to linger there. It was 
from somewhere on this mount that Jesus ascended 
to the skies. Tradition locates the spot near the 
summit directly opposite Jerusalem. But this is not 
in harmony with Luke who says : "And he led them 
out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, 
and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he 
blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried 
up into heaven." Not far from this spot there is a 
peculiarly constructed church, on the walls of which 
the Lord's Prayer is inscribed in thirty-one different 
languages, because this is supposed to be the place 
where Jesus taught his disciples that prayer. The 
precious feet of Jesus undoubtedly trod these same 
paths or roads. Especially is this so in regard to the 
old road leading up to Bethany and beyond to Jeri- 
cho and the Jordan. The roads in this country 
change not, and besides there is no other practical 
route to Jericho but this. So we may be sure Jesus 
often went over this road. What tender emotions 
come upon one as he thinks of the lonely Jesus with 
weary feet treading over this road to seek quiet and 
rest in the house of his friends at Bethany. 

Bethany, which means the "house of dates," 
though never a large village, was pleasantly situated 
on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives. 



220 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Somewhere along the roadside between this and 
Jerusalem stood the fig tfee which the Savior cursed 
on account of its fruitlessness. It is a peculiarity of 
the fig that the fruit is set before the leaves appear. 
A short distance from the village you are shown the 
tomb of Lazarus. There is no doubt that the tomb 
of this friend of Jesus was somewhere near Bethany, 
and who can tell but what the one we were looking 
upon was it, the very place where Jesus said to the 
sleeping brother, " Lazarus, come forth." One could 
linger here for many days amid these scenes, and go 
away better and happier for having been where Jesus 
loved to be, and where he found such true friends in 
the person of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. 

As we returned toward the city and stood on the 
brow of the hill overlooking it, how that wondrous 
scene of old came upon us: "Tell ye the daughter 
of Zion, Behold thy king cometh unto thee, meek 
and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an 
ass." "And a great multitude spread their garments 
in the way ; and others cut down branches from the 
trees and strewed them in the way ; and the multi- 
tudes that went before, and that followed, cried, say- 
ing, Hosanna to the Son of David!" From here 
Jesus looked upon the city and wept. 

"As he reached 
The summit's breezy pitch, the Savior raised 
His calm blue eye : There stood Jerusalem ! 

There she stood ; 

Jerusalem,— the city of his love, 
Chosen from all the earth ; Jerusalem, 
That knew him not, and had rejected him ; 
Jerusalem,— for whom he came to die ! 
The shouts redoubled from a thousand lips 
At the fair sight ; the children leaped, and sang 
Louder hosannas ; the clear air was filled 
With odor from the trampled olive leaves ; 



SHEPHERD LEADING HIS FLOCK. 



221 



But— Jesus wept ? ... He only saw 

Jerusalem, the chosen, the loved, the lost ! 

He only felt that for her sake his life 

Was vainly given ; and, in his pitying love, 

The sufferings that would clothe the heavens in black 

Were quite forgotten ! — Was there ever love, 

In earth or heaven, equal unto this? " 




In returning- to the city we saw a shepherd leading 
his flock, and carrying in his arms one of the young 
and tender lambs. 



222 



UXDER EASTERN SKIES. 



But what is the population of the city at present, 
and is it greater or less than in the time of Christ ? 
It is a very difficult matter to get a true census of 
any of the eastern cities. Some of the old writers 
give the population of Jerusalem in its earlier history 
as 120,000. But this seems large, especially when we 
have before us the fact that ancient Jerusalem did 
not cove/ much, if any more space than the present 
city does. It may be that the city had from 60,000 to 
80,000 inhabitants in the time of Christ. During the 
great festivals the city was crowded with people from 
all parts of the land, and probably more than a 
million persons were crowded in and about the walls. 
The present population, I think, is not much over 
15,000. 

With all its inconveniences, its filth and desolation. 
Jerusalem is a wonderful place, a place of many 
memories and sacred associations, and one loves to 
linger about its walls, and yet you must not linger 
long unless you wish to shorten the time which shall 
admit you to the New Jerusalem in the skies. I will 
reproduce here Gerald Massey's poem, "Jerusalem 
the Golden." It is a sweet poem, and will surely 
help us to lift our thoughts from the desolate city 
here to*the golden Jerusalem above. 

Jerusalem the golden ! 

I languish for one gleam 

Of all thy glory f olden 

In distance and in dream ! 

My thoughts like palms in exile 

Climb up to look and pray 

For a glimpse of that dear country 

That lies so far away. 

Jerusalem the golden ! 
Methinks each flower that blows 
And every bird a singing 
Some secret of thee knows. 



JERUSALEM THE GOLDEN. 



I know not what the flowers 
Can feel, or singers see, 
But all these summer raptures 
Are prophecies of thee. 

Jerusalem the golden ! 
When sun sets in the west 
It seems thy gate of glory, 
Thou city of the blest. 
And midnight's starry torches 
Through intermediate gloom 
Are waving with their welcome 
To thy eternal home. 

Jerusalem the golden ! 
Where loftily they sing, 
O'er pain and sorrows olden 
Forever triumphing. 
Lowly may be thy portal 
And dark may be the door, 
The mansion is immortal, 
God's palace for his poor. 

Jerusalem the golden ! 
There all our birds that flew, 
Our flowers but half unf olden, 
Our pearls that turned to dew, 
And all the glad life music 
Now heard no longer here, 
Shall come again to greet us 
As we are drawing near. 

Jerusalem the golden ! 

I toil on, day by day, 

Heartsore each night with longing, 

I stretch my hands and pray 

That 'mid thy leaves of healing 

My soul may find her nest, 

Where the wicked cease from troubling, 

The weary are at rest. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



NORTHWARD. 



camping outfit. — tombs of kings. — bethel. — shiloh. — 
Jacob's well. — tomb of Joseph. 

^1 T ONDAY morning April 11th, was a busy one. 



We had expected to start quite early, but there 



was the inevitable delay. The scene before 
our hotel was one of confusion. The horses and 
mules, over thirty in number, were uneasy and want- 
ed to be off over the hills. The muleteers were 
boisterous and demonstrative. It seems they cannot 
talk in a low tone of voice but scream with all the 
power they can command. At length all was ready, 
we mounted our Arabians and were off for our long 
journey through the northern portion of the Holy 
Land. 

It may be of interest to the reader to know some- 
thing about the camping outfit necessary for a party 
of tourists through this country. The tents were of 
the very best, and are provided with folding iron bed- 
steads, washstand, bowl and pitcher, a tallow candle, 
and rugs for the floor. Everything possible is pro- 
vided which can make the traveler comfortable. A 
dining tent, and a kitchen are also provided. The 
kitchen is furnished with a sheet iron stove in which 
charcoal is used as a fuel. The dishes and provision 
are carried along in boxes or rather large chests. 
Chickens, eggs, doves and quail are purchased by the 




CHICKENS. 



225 



way. Chickens are plentiful in this country, but on 
account of the lack of food are not as plump as those 
we are accustomed to see in our own land. In fact, 
eggs and chickens have been for ages the chief article 
of food among the people, even so early as the 
time of Christ. Geikie says: "Birds, indeed, were 
fattened for the table among the ancient Hebrews, 
for Nehemiah says: 'Fowls were prepared for me'; and 
fatted fowls were part of Solomon's provision, but 
there is no proof that they were ordinary poultry, 
Solomon's fowl being apparently geese, ducks or 
swans. Doves are the only birds which we know, 
certainly, to have been bred by the Hebrews for the 
table. Neither the cock nor the hen is mentioned in 
the Old Testament, nor are eggs enumerated among 
the articles of Hebrew food; passages in which they 
are alluded to, referring to those of wild birds." 

We had chicken to our heart's content. Twice a 
day they were served us in some form or other. Eggs 
were furnished us in such quantities as we hardly 
ever dreamed of, and well might they be liberal with 
them for the cook was able to purchase them for two 
or three cents per dozen. Taken all in all, we fared 
well so far as food is concerned. The tents, beds, 
boxes, trunks, in fact everj^thing was carried on the 
backs of mules. While horses are beginning to be 
quite common in the Holy Land, the beast of burden 
is still the ass and the camel. The ass is frequently 
mentioned in the Old Testament. There may have 
been horses in patriarchal times, but until the time 
of Solomon they were rare, while in all parts of the 
land there were great herds of asses. They were used 
not merely as beasts of burden, but for riding also! 
But the time is coming when the horse will be more 



226 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



generally used than now. When once the country 
will have good roads the ass will be exchanged for 
the horse, because he is so much more fleet of foot. 
Our party had horses to ride, and we found them 
safe, and sure footed even in dangerous passes. 

We formed quite a caravan as we filed away from 
our hotel and started north. One feels somewhat sad 
in leaving Jerusalem, and I turned again and again 
to see the city. With all its filth and inconvenience 
there is an indescribable charm about it which binds 
one to it. 

The first objects of interest you meet are the Tombs 
of the Kings. These lie about a half mile north of 
the Damascus Gate, a few yards east of the road to 
Nablus. There are many tombs in this vicinity, 
those of the Judges being not far distant. These 
Tombs of the Kings are quite extensive. You first 
descend into a court which is about ninety feet square 
and twenty deep and is cut out of the solid rock. 
Originally it must have been much deeper as the 
floor of it is covered with rubbish, which has been 
accumulating there for years. To the west of this 
court is the portico of the tombs, about forty feet 
long, seventeen deep and at least fifteen high. It 
must have been a piece of beautiful work in its day, 
as some of the ornamentation is still visible. The 
entrance to the tombs is on the south end of the por- 
tico. Having procured candles we entered the low 
door and found ourselves in a large ante-chamber. 
From this there are passages into other rooms, one 
running down into a large vault where there are 
numerous crypts running parallel to the sides. The 
doors to some of these rooms were originally closed 
with stone doors hung on stone hinges, but they have 



TOMBS OF THE KINGS. 



227 



been broken off and carried away. At this place we 
saw the stone which was used to close the doors of 
the sepulchres. It was a large circular shaped stone 
which rested in a groove to one side of the door and 
a strong man could easily roll it into position. It 
may be possible that a stone of this kind covered the 
mouth of the sepulchre in which Christ was buried, 
and of which the women said : "Who shall roll us 
away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" 
The extent of these tombs, and the evidence of their 
former glory are indications that they were intended 
for royalty, but when they were constructed, and for 
whom has not been decided. Some have said that 
this was the tomb of Herod the Great, but it is almost 
certain that King was buried on the Frank Mountain. 
Others have ascribed the mausoleum to Helena of 
Adiabene, who having embraced Judaism came to 
Jerusalem in A. D. 48. But it is immaterial now 
who rested there. Their bones have been scattered 
or turned to dust. Whether king or prince, courtier 
or commander of armies, when God calls the nations 
of the earth to the judgment seat, the once occupants 
of these royal tombs will fare no better than the poor 
occupants of the lonely graves on yonder hillside. 

The dragoman rides at the head of the party, and 
when we pass any place of interest, in a piping voice 
he tells what it is. I learn that this small village is 
Bireh, the ancient Beeroth, the place it is said where 
Mary and Joseph first missed the boy Jesus on their 
way from Jerusalem. This may be the place, but 
there is no certainty about it. It is still customary 
for those journeying to the north to stop here for 
the night as they did in the days of old. 

There are many places Of historic interest in the 



228 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



region north of Jerusalem. You are pointed to 
Anathoth or Anata, the birthplace of Jeremiah. It is 
a small village lying on the summit of a hill. You 
see also Gibeah of Saul, Kamah and Geba, and far 
away to the left Mizpeh or Neby Samwil, the Moun- 
tain of Samuel. From this hill which is several 
hundred feet higher than Jerusalem, you have a mag- 
nificent view of a large extent of territory. It was 
here that the men of Israel vowed never to return to 
their homes until they had punished the men of 
Gibeah for their abominable crime. To this place 
they also flocked at the call of Samuel to drive away 
the Philistines. It was here after the victory that 
Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer, "Hith- 
erto hath the Lord helped us." Here, too, Saul was 
chosen King. 

We took lunch at Bethel, a miserable village of a 
few dozen houses. There seems to have been a large 
reservoir of some kind here, as the remains are plain- 
ly visible. We were hardly from our horses until we 
were beset by the villagers, men, women and children. 
One man had a pocketful of old coins. He divided 
them among the rest, and then the assault began. It 
was almost impossible to get rid of them. They 
seemed intent on making us buy, but the dragoman 
put them all to flight with a shout and a flourish of 
his whip. Geikie has given a most graphic descrip- 
tion of the place: "Long round hills of bare grey 
stone, russet spots of thorns and coarse herbage rising 
in their cracks, and poor specks of ploughing among 
the stones where there was any surface to be stirred; 
a small valley with an old tank, in the dry bottom of 
which our tents were raised; a wretched village on 
the crest of one of the earth waves or rocky bubbles 



A DESOLATE REGION. 



229 



of hills; the cabins rudely built of stone filled in with 
mud, though there are two or three better houses of 
two stories; rough stone fences, with some fig trees; 
spots of grain and lentils in one of the valleys, the 
side of which was nothing but weather worn stone; 
sheets and shelves of rock everywhere, unrelieved by 
any trees; a few poor vines above the village; a high, 
square, low-domed building, rising on the top of the 
hill on which the village stands; some ancient tombs 
on the sides of the neighboring valleys, — such is 
Bethel." It undoubtedly was a place of some 
importance once, and a fertile pasture region. We 
rested at noon in the shadow of a solid stone wall 
which once formed the side of an immense tank three 
hundred feet long and two hundred wide. It may be 
possible that to this very place Sarah came to get 
water, and where the cattle of the patriarch came 
to drink. 

The vicinity of Bethel is a dreary and desolate 
looking region, and if it were near this place that 
Jacob had his dream he found no difficulty in obtain- 
ing a stone for his pillow. It would have been much 
more difficult to find anything else. In this vicinity 
also was the royal Canaanitish city of Ai, and not far 
from here Abraham pitched his tent when he jour- 
neyed through the land, going on toward the south, 
on his way to Egypt; and it was to this same spot, 
"even to the place where his tent had been at the 
beginning, unto the place of the altar which he had 
made there at the first" that he came again when he 
journeyed back from Egypt. On the top of one of 
the neighboring mountains there are the ruins of an 
old church, and this is the only spot in this neighbor- 
hood from which one can see into the valley of the 



230 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



J ordan. Who knows but on this very hill Abraham 
and Lot stood and looked over the country, with the 
view of dividing it between them. Lot looked down 
upon the fertile and well watered valley of the J or- 
dan and chose it, while Abraham remained in the hill 
country. The simple Scripture record is, "And Lot 
lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, 
that it was well watered everywhere. . . . Then 
Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan." After Lot 
had departed the Lord said to Abraham, "Lift up 
now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou 
art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and 
westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee 
will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will 
make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a 
man can number the dust of the earth, then shall 
thy seed also be numbered." The prospect before 
the patriarch was not so pleasing as that before the 
eyes of his nephew Lot, and yet these apparently 
bleak hills would once be covered with cities whose 
very names would be held in honor, and mentioned 
with pleasant remembrance when the wicked cities 
of the fertile plain would be no more. Perhaps a 
hundred and fifty years later, Jacob rests somewhere 
in this vicinity on his way from the south country. 
"And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried 
there all night, because the sun was set; and he took 
of the stones of that place, and put them for his pil- 
lows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And 
Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the 
stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for 
a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. And he 
called the name of that place Bethel." 
These facts came to my mind as we rested in the 



SHEEP-FOLD NEAR BETHEL. 



231 



shadow of a rock in this desolate and stony place. 
The fences are stone, and only here and there amid 
the piled up rock are there a few patches of culti- 
vated ground. Still I could not help but think that 
in the time of Abraham the country had a different 
aspect, not so fertile perhaps as the level plain of the 
Jordan, nor so well adpated for agriculture, yet a 
good grazing region. Probably these barren rocks 
were then covered with soil, and trees adorned the 



A short distance beyond Bethel we came upon a 
sheep-fold, just such as may have been used in the 
time of Christ. It was built of stone, having one 
door as the entrance. Into these enclosures the 
sheep are driven at night, so that they may be pro- 
tected from wild beasts. 

These enclosures invariably have but one door. I 
was reminded of the language of the Savior : " Veri- 
ly, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the 
door into the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some other 
way, the same is a thief and a robber. And other 



hills. 




A SHEEP-FOLD. 



232 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



sheep I have, which are not of this fold ; them also I 
must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and there 
shall be one fold, and one shepherd." 

A ride of a few miles more brings us to the tombs 
of Phinehas and Eleazar, the grandsons of Aaron. 
The common opinion among Jew and Mohammedan 
is that these are the veritable tombs of those persons. 
If this be true, then how far back in the ages they 
carry us. One can hardly realize the lapse of time 
between that day and this. 

A journey of a few miles more brings us to Shiloh. 
The place is covered with loose stones and remains of 
ancient buildings. This was at one time an import- 
ant place and seemed to be a sort of national sanctu- 
ary. In Judges we read, " Behold, there is a feast of 
the Lord in Shiloh yearly, in a place which is on the 
north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that 
goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south 
of Lebonah." The tabernacle abode at Shiloh for a 
period of 369 years, and from here it appears to have 
been taken to Nob, where it remained until the 
building of the temple. One naturally asks if this is 
Shiloh where the tabernacle stood. It is doubtful 
whether there are any traces of it, though Wilson 
thinks he has found the spot on which it stood. He 
says : " Northward, the tell slopes down to a broad 
shoulder, across which a sort of level court, 77 feet 
wide and 412 feet long, has been cut. The rock is in 
places scarped to a height of five feet. There is no 
other level space on the tell sufficiently large to 
receive a structure of the dimensions of the taber- 
nacle." The reader will perhaps remember a roman- 
tic incident which took place in this out-of-the-way 
place. 



/ 



STEALING WIVES. 



233 



During the time of the annual festival spoken of 
above, it was customary for the Jewish maidens to 
dance. They gathered on the hillside and there to 
the sound of the timbrel or harp, and the clapping of 
hands, they danced away the rqerry hours until the 
sun went down and the stars shone out upon the 
sacred place. On one occasion while the maidens 
were engaged in this festivity, at an unexpected 
moment a band of young men rushed out from their 
ambush among the vines, each seized a damsel and 
carried her away to Benjamin. The instruction of 
the elders of the tribe is given in J udges 21 : 21 : 
"Behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to 
dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, 
and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of 
Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin." 

There is a curious building standing at the foot of 
the hill which the dragoman said was the place in 
which the Ark of the Covenant rested. This can not 
be possible. It is more likely a Mohammedan 
mosque. There is a niche to the south which would 
indicate that it was the prayer niche of a mosque. 

But we must pass on, the sun is scorching, and we 
are to take lunch at Jacob's Well. We had been 
skirting the plain of Mukhna for some time, and 
finally come in sight of Gerizim and Ebal, and at 
noon we rest at the well. 

There is no doubt at all about the identity of this 
well, as it is the only one in all that region. Long 
ago there was a small church or mosque built over it, 
but this has fallen to decay. A few granite pillars 
are yet visible. The original depth was in the neigh- 
borhood of 100 feet, at present it is but 75. There is 
no water in it because of the great amount of rubbish 

16 



234 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



which has been cast into it. If the present Nablus is 
on the site of the ancient Sychar, it would seem that 
the woman came a great way to draw water. It may 
be that the old city was somewhat nearer. But if it 
was not, it may be possible they came this distance 
for water because of its superiority or because other 
sources of water had failed. Not far from the well is 
Joseph's tomb, the common opinion being that it is 
the true resting place of Joseph. 

The entire valley is full of springs and the question 
has been raised why Jacob digged the well when 
water was so abundant on the surface. It must be 
remembered that Jacob was a stranger in the land 
and that the inhabitants would not be willing to 
allow him to use the water from their springs, and to 
be independent of them had this well made on the 
parcel of ground which he purchased of the children 
of Hamor. And there it is to this day. There 
seems to be no doubt at all about its identity. The 
Well of Jacob, the same well by which the Savior sat 
centuries after and had that memorable conversation 
with the Samaritan woman. The cut on another 
page is an exact copy of the place as it is to-day. 

This entire region is full of interest. How far we 
can look back into the dim past, long before Moses 
was born, or Israel became a nation. The first per- 
son of note who comes upon the scene is Abraham, 
who migrated from Ur of the Chaldees. 

" Canaan he now attains. I see his tents 
Pitched about Sychem, and the neighboring plain 
Of Moreh. Here by promise he receives 
Gift to his progeny of all this land." 

The simple Scripture record is, "And Abraham 
passed through the land unto the place of Sychem." 



236 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



This seems to have been his first station in the land 
of promise, at the oak of Moreh. Who or what this 
Moreh was has not been decided. But here Abra- 
ham pitched his tent and built the first altar to 
Jehovah in the land. When he left his country he 
did not leave his religion behind him. He had in 
some manner come to a purer notion of God than 
most of his friends. Some pretend to say he received 
his knowledge of God from Shem, others that he 
received it in some strange manner and that the 
more he thought of it the more he became convinced 
of the truth of Monotheism, and resolved to make 
this belief known to all he could. An old Moham- 
medan legend tells us how he received the title, 
"Friend of God." Once when his fellow-townsmen 
went on a pilgrimage to a shrine, and he was left 
alone in the village, he destroyed over seventy idols, 
and from this circumstance received the title. When 
accused of the crime before Mmrod he was at once 
condemned to be burnt alive. The following conver- 
sation took place between Nimrod and the accused : 
" Let us worship the fire," said the king. " Rather," 
replied Abraham, " the water that quenches the fire." 
"Well, the water." "Rather the cloud that carries 
the water." "Well, the cloud." "Rather the wind 
that scatters the cloud." " Well, the wind." " Rath- 
er man, for he endures the wind." "Thou art a 
babbler," cried Nimrod. " I worship the fire and will 
cast thee into it. May the Lord whom thou adorest 
deliver thee thence." He was thrown into the fire, 
but God sent Gabriel to cool the flame, and Abrarm 
sat unharmed amid the fire. Though these are mere 
legends, yet they show Abraham's trust and belief in 
the one God. 



TOMB OF JOSEPH. 



237 



One can not help but think of these things as you 
rest quietly in the vicinity of where the patriarch 
first pitched his tent. Here, too, comes to rnind that 
wonderful and touching conversation between the 
Savior and the woman of Samaria. As I looked over 
the plain, and up the valley to Nablus, I could not 
help but think that now, as in the time when Jesus 
sat by the well, the fields were white to the harvest, 
and that now, as then, what above all these people 
needed was that living water of which Jesus spoke. 

This Well of Jacob lies a short distance from the 
main road leading up the valley, and there is nothing 
to be seen above ground to indicate that there is a 
well there. Much rubbish has gathered about the 
place, and the true mouth of the well is quite a dis- 
tance down. The well is about seven feet across, and 
its depth at the present time about seventy -five feet. 
Every visitor must throw a stone into it, just simply 
to hear it thump at the bottom, and the depth will 
diminish year after year. As to the white tomb 
which lies perhaps a quarter of a mile away, all the 
nationalities agree upon as being that of Joseph. 
When Israel left Egypt they brought with them the 
bones of Joseph and buried them in the parcel of 
ground which Jacob purchased. As the Egyptians 
were in the habit of embalming their dead it may be 
possible that some day the mummy of Joseph will be 
found here. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



NABLUS. 



SHECHEM. — ITS NATURAL BEAUTY. — EBAL AND GERIZIM. — 
THE SAMARITANS. — SYNAGOGUE. — PENTATEUCH. — 
SAMARIA. — DOTHAN. 

TTVROM J acob's Well we rode up between Gerizim 



and Ebal to where our tents are pitched in an 



olive grove a short distance from Nablus. There 
are few finer sights in the entire land than this valley 
between these two historic hills, and if Nablus is on 
the site of Shechem then we have in this valley one 
of the oldest cities in the world. The name Nablus, 
is corrupted from Neapolis, the u New City" which is 
said to have been founded by Vespasian after the 
ruins of the old town. The older Shechem may have 
stood nearer to the plain, yet this is only conjecture. 
It was somewhere in this vicinity that the patriarch 
rested. It may be possible that at that time the city 
was not yet built, as the expression u Abram passed 
through the land unto the place of Shechem" would 
seem to indicate. The city may have been built on 
this spot some years after, but even this is not certain. 
However this may be, here in a grove of oaks he 
pitched his tent, and the tree under which the patri- 
arch sat was venerated for many years, and seems to 
have survived even to J acob's day, for "under the 
oak that was by Shechem" he buried the teraphim 
which had been brought from Padan-aram. 




BEAUTIFUL SITUATION OF NABLUS. 239 



The universal testimony is that the situation of 
Nablus is one of wondrous beauty, and I add my tes- 
timony to that of others. Looking down upon it 
from one of the neighboring hills it seemed to me I 
never saw a more charming place. Groves of olives 
hemmed it in upon every hand, and beautiful gardens 
stretched out in all directions. Fountains of spark- 
ling water bubbled up out of the ground and went 
laughing and sparkling down the valley, while the 
birds made melody in the branches of the trees. I 
will give the language of others who have visited the 
place. Dr. Clarke says: "There is nothing finer in 
all Palestine than a view of Nablus from the heights 
around it. As the traveler descends toward it from 
the hills, it appears luxuriantly embosomed in the 
most delightful and fragrant bowers, half concealed 
by rich gardens and by stately trees collected into 
groves, all around the bold and beautiful valley in 
which it stands." Dr. Robinson says: "The whole 
valley was filled with gardens of vegetables, and 
orchards of all kinds of fruit, watered by fountains 
which burst forth in various parts and flow westward 
in refreshing streams." Van de Yelde, who made a 
pilgrimage to this region says: "Here there is no 
wilderness, here there are no wild thickets, yet there 
is always verdure; always shade, not of the oak, the 
terebinth, and the Caroub tree, but of the olive grove 
— so soft in color, so picturesque in form, that for its 
sake we can willingly dispense with all other wood. 
Here there are no impetuous mountain torrents, yet 
there is water — water, too, in more copious supplies 
than anywhere else in the land; and it is just to its 
many fountains, rills, and water-courses that the val- 
ley owes its exquisite beauty." 



240 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



We need not wonder that Abraham rested here, 
and that afterward Jacob bought a parcel of ground 
in that vicinity. The natural beauty of the region no 
doubt induced the patriarch to pitch his tent here. 
The base of the mountains in the vicinity of Nablus 
do not seem to be more than 500 feet apart. The val- 
ley is about 1,800 feet above the level of the sea, 
while the summit ot Gerizim rises some 800 feet 
higher. 

In Joshua 8: 30-32, we read: "Then Joshua built 
an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, 
as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the 
children of Israel, as is written in the book of the 
law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no 
man hath lift up any iron; and they offered thereon 
burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace 
offerings. And he wrote there upon the stones a 
copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the pres- 
ence of the Children of Israel." We need not sup- 
pose that the law of Moses was engraved on the stone 
as that would have required a great amount of labor. 
It is likely the stones were covered with cement and 
and the law was written upon this cement before it 
hardened, with an iron pen. The cement used by 
the ancients was very durable and if the stone had 
not been destroyed the probabilities are that the 
writing would be legible to the present day. 

Somewhere between these two mountains the tribes 
were assembled to hear the "blessings and cursings." 
Some have expressed doubt about the matter saying 
it would be impossible for the human voice to be 
heard from one mountain to the other. But the peo- 
ple were not assembled on the summits of these 
mountains, but on their slopes. "Simeon, and Levi, 



THE SAMARITANS. 



241 



and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin, 
stood on Gerizim; and Keuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, 
Dan and Naphtali on Ebal; while all Israel, and their 
elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this 
side of the ark, and on that side before the priests 
which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord." It 
would be an easy matter for the voice of the Levites 
to be heard from one side of the valley to the other, 
the distance being considerably less than a half mile. 

That was a wonderful assembly, perhaps the like 
of which has not been seen since. From Ebal the 
priests proclaimed "Cursed be the man that maketh 
any graven image, an abomination unto Jehovah," 
while the people on either side shouted Amen. 

On the top of Gerizim the foundations of the old 
Samaritan temple still remain, and there the remnant 
of this race go every year to olfer up the bloody 
sacrifice in conformity with the ancient Jewish 
requirement. It is probable that the Savior pointed 
to this mountain in his conversation with the Samar- 
itan woman when he said: "Woman, believe me, the 
hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, 
nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. God is a 
Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him 
in spirit and in truth." The number of Samaritans 
at the present time is not much over 150, but they 
still follow the customs of their ancestors after a lapse 
of 2,500 years. The Samaritans are not pure Jews, 
but are descended from Jews of the Ten Tribes who 
escaped being carried to Babylon, and intermarried 
with foreigners, probably colonists from Assyria. 
For some reasons they would not accept Jerusalem 
as their religious center, and hence built a rival tem- 
ple on Gerizim. After standing at least 200 years, it 



242 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



was destroyed by John Hyrcanus in the second cen- 
tury before Christ, which act made the breach 
between Jew and Samaritan still wider. This is per- 
haps the only spot in the world where the Jewish 
Pascal ceremony is kept up as prescribed in Exodus. 

The greater part of the population of Nablus is 
Mohammedan, and quite fanatical, and they looked 
at us with scorn as we passed through their streets. 
It is well to be careful of one's purse and other valu- 
ables here, for the people of this ancient city have 




POSTURE IN SCHOOL. 



little regard for the commandment which reads: 
"Thou shalt not steal." During the night of our 
encampment here the soldiers who were employed 
as guards captured one of the enterprising citizens 
in the act of creeping into one of our tents. He had 
no intention of stealing he said, but was looking for 
jackals. It may be he thought we carried a dozen or 
two of these animals with us and kept them under 



EXTENSIVE SOAP WORKS. 



243 



our beds. At any rate this hunter of wild animals 
was compelled to sit down at the foot of a tree until 
daylight, so that we might get a look at him. 

The population of Nablus is about ten thousand, 
and though it is so large a place, yet the only way of 
getting there is by horse or camel. But the march 
of improvement will finally reach all of these inland 
towns. Some miles of good road have been built 
out of Nablus, and more is under construction. 

The streets of the city are narrow, some of them 
are arched over and gloomy and very filthy. The 
bazars though quite extensive do not have the variety 
of rich goods one sees at other places. We passed by 
a school in which all were studying aloud making a 
buzzing noise which could be heard at a great dis- 
tance. The pupils all sit on the floor as in the cut. 

One of the chief industries of Nablus is that of 
soap making. The quality is very good, the pure 
olive oil being used in the manufacture of it. It 
seems a pity the people do not make more use of it 
on their persons. Outside of the city are immense 
heaps of ashes, and the refuse of the soap factories. 
The extent of these heaps would indicate that this 
industry had been carried on for many years. 

We also visited the synagogue of the Samaritans 
which is in the city. Passing through many narrow 
and filthy streets we finally reached a low building 
which is crowded in between other buildings. This 
was the place we were seeking. There is before it a 
little court-yard with a single tree in it. The syna- 
gogue is very plain, the walls white-washed, and the 
floor covered with mats. This is the only synagogue 
of their faith in the world. The high priest who 
received us is a fine, intelligent looking man, wearing 



244 UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 

a long beard. He had been indisposed for some 
time, and we had hardly been ushered into his pres- 




ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT ROLL. 

ence before he asked whether there was a physician 



THE SAMARITAN PENTATEUCH. 



245 



in our party. Unfortunately there was not, so we 
could not give him any medicine for the body, though 
we might have given him that which would have 
helped him spiritually had he been disposed to 
accept it. Medical assistance is very scarce in this 
country, and I believe that one of the qualifications 
of missionaries, male or female, should be a practical 
knowledge of medicine. Upon inquiring of our drag- 
oman what the people do when they get sick, he 
replied, " If they don't get well, they die." 

The treasure of this synagogue is a Samaritan man- 
uscript of the Pentateuch. Their only sacred writ- 
ings are the five Books of Moses with a small portion 
of Joshua. The high priest brought this manuscript 
out for us to inspect. There are two copies of it in 
the synagogue, one said to be very ancient, the other 
more modern. The former is rarely shown, though 
the priest declared the one we were looking at was 
the ancient one. We were informed by one who 
knew that the old manuscript was shown only on 
special occasions, and that before the priest touches it 
a certain ceremony is required which takes some 
time. The roll which we saw is in a copper cylinder 
about seven inches in diameter and sixteen long, and 
covered with a pink silk handkerchief. The age of 
this manuscript according to the priest is nearly 3,000 
years, and is ascribed to one of the immediate 
descendants of Aaron. It is undoubtedly very 
ancient, but it is doubtful whether so old as is 
claimed. The name of the present high priest is 
J acob, and he claims to be of the tribe of Levi and a 
direct descendant of Aaron. On Gerizim this people 
at this time observe the three great festivals of the 
Pentateuch, waiting yet for the Messiah. 



246 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



A ride of about two hours from Nablus brings us to 
the ruins of Samaria or Sebastiyeh. The village lies 
on the southeastern slope of the hill on which 
Samaria stood. It contains the ruins of an old Cru- 
saders' Church. Within the ruined walls of the 
church there is a mosque, built out of the marble 
slabs of the once Christian Church. The attendants 
having furnished us with lights we went down a 
flight of twenty-one steps to the vault below where 
tradition says J ohn the Baptist was buried. Another 
tomb in the vault is said to be that of Obadiah. 
While tradition locates the imprisonment and 
beheading of John at this place, so good authority as 
Josephus and Eusebius locate it in the Castle of 
Machaerus, somewhere east of the Dead Sea. 

A short distance from this spot we came upon the 
ruins of Samaria. The site of the city was certainly 
a most delightful one. It is a large hill at least 600 
feet above the plain. What remains of the city con- 
sists only of a part of the great colonade with which 
the city was adorned. Some of the columns still 
stand upright, others are lying half buried in the soil. 
These columns certainly date back to the time of 
Herod and perhaps still earlier. It is mournful to 
contemplate that this is all that is left of the once 
glorious city of Samaria. Geikie says: "Where 
kings once lived in palaces faced with ivory, and 
nobles in mansions of squared stones; where the roy- 
al tombs raised their proud heads over the successor 
of Omri ; where grew a grove of Astarte, and a great 
temple to her rose at the will of Jezebel ; where the 
huge fane of Baal was the cathedral of idolatry for 
the apostate tribes ; where Elisha lived at the foot of 
the hill, but inside the fortifications; where Hosea 



ANCIENT SAMARIA. 



247 



preached year after year through his long and faith- 
ful career — there was now only a plowed field." 

Samaria was for several hundred years the capitol 
of Israel. The hill or site was purchased by Omri, 
the King of Israel over 900 years before Christ, of 
Shemer, from which the name Samaria is derived. 
Here also was Ahab's palace of ivory and the great 
temple of Baal where idolatrous worship was estab- 
lished. Here also later was the royal palace of 
Herod and the grand colonade which probably 
extended around the entire hill. Here and at Jez- 
reel Ahab and his wicked queen ruled with iron 
hand. The intention of the queen was to stamp out 
the worship of Jehovah, and so the priests of the old 
faith were hunted, persecuted 7 and put to death until 
it seemed not one was left. But one day there 
appeared before Ahab, perhaps while he was in the 
midst of some of his revels, a strange, wild looking 
being, clad perhaps in a mantle of untanned skins. 
Unannounced and uninvited he came into the royal 
presence and with ringing voice proclaimed : u As the 
Lord, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, 
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but 
according to my word." The prophecy was fulfilled. 
There were three years of drought, and then on the 
eastern crest of Carmel the trial between the priests 
of Baal and Elijah to prove which was God, Jehovah 
or Baal. The priests of Baal were discomfitted and 
slain. When the cowardly Ahab announced this to 
the wicked queen, she sent the following message to 
the prophet of God : " So let the gods do to me, 
and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of 
one of them by to-morrow about this time." The 
man of God who had faced the king and the soldiers 



248 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



and had defied the priests, fled at the threat of this 
woman. 

Under Benhadad tne city had perhaps its severest 
trial, the famine in connection with the siege. The 
record is: "And there was a great famine in 
Samaria ; and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's 
head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the 
fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of 
silver." The dire extremity to which the inhabitants 
were put may be seen from the following. When 
the king was walking upon the wall a woman cried 
to him : " Help, my lord, king." And when he 
inquired what the trouble was, received the dreadful 
reply : " This woman said unto me, Give thy son, 
that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son 
to-morrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him ; 
and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, 
that we may eat him ; and she hath hid her son." 

But we must leave this interesting spot and con- 
tinue our pilgrimage northward. By the way we see 
little children and women gathering the manure 
along the paths. They have a large, flat, circular 
basket which they carry upon their heads. Into this 
the manure is thrown, carried home and there made 
into cakes. These are stuck against the walls of the 
houses to dry in the sun, and when dried are used as 
fuel. One would naturally suppose this would lend 
a disagreeable odor to the food when cooking, but we 
were told it does not. 

We pass by Dothan, the place of " two wells," the 
scene of the sale of Joseph to the Midianites. This is 
a rich pasture region, and for this purpose the sons of 
Jacob drove their flocks to this spot. Probably they 
went over the same path we have just passed on their 




17 



250 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



way from Shechem. Joseph in search of his breth- 
ren came to Shechem, and there was informed they 
had gone to Dothan to which place he repaired, and 
where they caught him, stripped him and cast him 
into the pit. There is a pit shown you which the 
credulous believe is the same one into which he was 
cast. 

The camp for the night is pitched at Jenin, the 
" Fountain of the Gardens." 



CHAPTER XIX. 
PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 



JFNIN. — ESDRAELON. — GREAT BATTLE-GROUND. — FOUNTAIN 
OF GIDEON. — FERTILITY OF THE PLAIN. — 
JEZREEL. — SHUNEM, &C 

TENIN, the place of our encampment is the chief 



town between Nablus and Nazareth. It is the 



J ancient Engannin — "the Fountain of the Gar- 
dens" which was given to Issachar, and lies on the 
southern border of the plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel. 
The town is said to contain between two and three 
thousand inhabitants, and the people are reported to 
be very contentious. There is a governor, and a 
detachment of soldiers here. After our tents had 
been pitched, a pompous official came to the camp to 
get our names. It was his business, he said, as an 
officer of the government to do so. He could not 
speak a word of English, but made known his mission 
through our native dragoman. The conductor of the 
party then pointed to each one of us in turn, giving 
us some great name such as governor, general, or 
colonel, so and so. The officer wrote upon his paper, 
bowed politely and went his way. I should liked to 
have seen and known what he scribbled upon his 
paper. It was simply an opportunity to show his 
little authority and he made use of it. We were 
warned not to venture far from the tents on account 
of the quarrelsomeness of the people. 




252 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The town has one tall minaret, several mosques, 
and scattered here and there are numerous palm-trees. 
There are also many orange and pomegranate groves, 
and there is an abundance of water. Quite a large 
stream runs through the town, and this divided into 
several smaller ones makes the whole region appear 
fresh and green. There are large patches of the 
prickly cactus within a stone's throw of the camping 
ground. Why they are allowed to occupy so much 
space I cannot surmise, unless it be, that there is 
little use for the land, which is probably the case. 
What a grand country could be made out of this if 
the people had our American enterprise. Not only 
would more of the populace find employment, but 
the products of the country would be increased, and 
instead of the shiftless, half-starved, poverty-stricken 
people, there would be the thrifty, well-to-do farmer 
and townsman. 

Early in the morning we emerged from the orange 
and pomegranate groves of Jennin into the great 
plain of Esdraelon. It is a most beautiful sight as 
you look over this comparatively level stretch of 
land carpeted with the richest green. The plain is 
from twelve to eighteen miles wide and extends from 
the swift rushing waters of the Jordan to where the 
Mediterranean lashes the rocks with foam of its mad- 
ness. It is certainly one of the richest plains in the 
whole land, yet, with the exception of a few mud 
villages, and these mostly on the borders, it is almost 
entirely uninhabited. There is not much encourage- 
ment to the people to cultivate the rich land because 
of the wandering Bedouins who are continually on 
the look out for harvest fields to plunder. 

The plain of Esdraelon especially in the spring 



GREAT BATTLEFIELD. 



253 



time presents a most charming view to the eye. 
Large patches of grain and long stretches of pasture, 
with here and there olive trees, and over the carpet 
of green, many gaily colored flowers, presents a view 
which is not soon forgotten. There is perhaps no 
spot in Palestine that contains, within so limited a 
space so many places of interest as one sees here. 
Take your stand upon an elevation on the border of 
the plain, look now to the west, there stands Mt. 
Carmel; northward appear the mountains of Zebulun, 
Naphtali, and Issachar; toward the east Tabor, 
Little Hermon and Gilboa. The towns are Jezreel, 
Shunem, Bethshan, Nain, Endor, Cana, and beyond 
Nazareth. So large an open space is not to be found 
anywhere else in the land, and perhaps on this 
account even from the earliest ages it has been a bat- 
tle ground. Here have glittered in the morning sun 
the lances of the men of Moab, and the chariots of 
the Pharaohs and Ptolemies have thundered across 
it. The warriors of Sennacherib here showed their 
valor. Macedonia and Rome have reddened the soil 
with the blood of their archers and spearman, and 
later the Crusaders in their mistaken zeal marched 
over the land. From the days of Nebuchadnezzar 
to Napoleon it has been the chosen fighting ground 
of the nations. It was here that 3000 Frenchmen 
under Kleber withstood the Turkish army of 27,000 
and gained the victory. See the nationalities who 
have drawn their swords here, Hebrews, Gentiles, 
Egyptians, Saracens, Persians, Druses, Turks, Arabs, 
Crusaders and Frenchmen. The warriors of almost 
every nation under heaven have pitched their white 
tents on this plain, and their streaming banners have 
been wet with the dews of Tabor and Hermon. 



254 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The Bible reader will remember that one of the 
first wars on this plain was that in which the Lord 
delivered Sisera, with his mighty army and 900 chari- 
ots of iron into the hands of Barak. Sisera fled to the 
tent of Heber where he laid down to rest, and while 
asleep there Jael, Heber's wife, taking the "nail of 
the tent," or tent pin, such as are used even at the 
present time, and drove it through his head into the 
ground. The ode of Deborah in Judges commemor- 
ates the event: "Awake, awake, Deborah; awake, 
awake, utter a song; arise, Barak, and lead thy cap- 
tivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. Blessed above 
women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, 
blessed shall she be above women in the tent. He 
asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought 
forth butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to 
the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's ham- 
mer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she 
smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken 
through his temples. So let all thine enemies perish, 
O Lord; but let them that love him be as the sun 
when he goeth forth in his might." 

We made a short detour to take a drink at the 
Fountain of Gideon, and look upon the stream where 
Gideon's men were tested for their assault on the 
Midianites. The water as it gushes out from under 
the hill looks bright and sparkling and cool, but we 
found it warm and insipid, and it did not take much 
to satisfy us. Why the water is not cooler I could 
not decide. It may be that the hot Syrian sun bakes 
and warms the earth or that this stream somewhere 
underground comes in contact with a current of hot 
water. But whatever the cause the water is not as 
cool as one would expect from a spring. It is easy to 



GIDEON'S VICTORY. 



255 



imagine the consternation as well as indignation of 
the ten thousand when two-thirds of their army 
melted away when the faint-hearted were allowed to 
return to their homes. Then by another test the ten 
thousand were diminished by the way they drank 
water, until but 300 were left. With this small army 
he gained complete victory. Stanley gives the fol- 
lowing description of the stratagem and the victory: 
"It was night, when from the mountain side Gideon 
and his servant descended to the vast encampment. 
All along the valley, within and around the tents, 
the thousands of Arabs lay wrapt in sleep, or resting 
from their day's plunder, and their innumerable 
camels couched for the night in deep repose round 
about them. One of the sleepers, startled from his 
slumbers, was telling his dream to his fellow — a 
characteristic and expressive dream for a Bedouin, 
even without its terrible interpretation — that a cake 
of barley bread, from those rich corn fields, those 
numerous threshing-floors of the peaceful inhabitants 
whom they had conquered, rolled into the camp of 
Midian and struck a tent, and overturned it, so that 
it lay along on the ground. Keassured by this 
good omen, Gideon returned for his 300 trusty follow- 
ers, the trumpets were blown, the torches blazed 
forth, the shout of Israel, always terrible, always like 
the shout of a king, broke through the stillness of the 
midnight air, and the sleepers sprang from their rest, 
and ran hither and thither with the dissonant cries so 
peculiar to the Arab race. "And the Lord set every 
man's sword against his fellow, even through all the 
host, and the host flew headlong down the descent to 
the Jordan." 

Another of the great wars which took place some- 



256 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



where on this plain was that between Saul and the 
Philistines. The latter had rallied all their forces 
for another effort to destroy Israel, and were encamp- 
ed on that part of the plain which was called "the 
Valley of Jezreel." The Israelites under Saul were 
entrenched on the hills as they mount up to Gilboa. 
It was while the armies were encamped here that 
Saul disguised himself and by night made the dan- 
gerous journey over the ridge on which the Philis- 
tines were encamped to consult the witch at Endor. 
There are at this place at the present time a number 
of caves which would answer very well for the home 
of a wizzard. 

On the next morning the two armies engaged in 
the conflict and the tide turned in favor of the Philis- 
tines. The Israelites were driven up the slopes of 
Gilboa, and here the carnage must have been the 
greatest, for here the body of the king was found, as 
well as those of his three sons. David must have 
known the place well for in his lament he says, 
"The beauty of Israelis slain upon thy high places: 
O Jonathan, thou wast slain upon thy high places." 
The lament of David is a most touching one, showing 
the tenderness of his heart, and the strong love and 
attachment he had for Jonathan. 

"How are the mighty fallen! 

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in Askelon's streets, 
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, 
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph! 



Ye mountains of Gilboa! 

Let there be no dew or rain upon you, 

Nor fields of offerings 

For there the shield of the mighty is cast away 

The shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed. 



FERTILITY OF THE LAND. 



257 



Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, 
And in their death they were not divided. 
They were swifter than eagles, 
They were stronger than lions. 

Daughters of Israel ! weep for them, 

How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! 

O, Jonathan, slain upon thy mountains 

Woe is for thee— my brother Jonathan! 

How are the mighty fallen! 

And the weapons of war perished." 

There are some who are fond of making much of 
every little peculiar expression of the Bible, and who 
are of the opinion that the imprecation of David 
upon Gilboa, as to the dew and rain is still resting up- 
on that ridge, but observation shows that the dews and 
rains are as copious there as any where in the land. 
The bleakness and barrenness is due to the fact that 
it has been denuded of forest and shrubbery and the 
exposed soil has been washed into the valleys by the 
winter rains. 

One cannot help but be surprised at the wonderful 
richness of the soil on this plain as well as others. 
But Esdraelon especially is noted for its fertility, and 
with proper care and cultivation it could be made as 
rich as ever. It was not a vain boast when Moses 
described it as a good land, a land of brooks of water, 
of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys 
and hills; a land of wheat and barley, and vines and 
fig-trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil-olive and 
honey." It has also been described as a land flowing 
with milk and honey. Though the land was little 
cultivated in the time of the patriarchs yet its capa- 
bility was great. The products have been about the 
same in all ages, the water abundant, and the numer- 
ous cisterns cut in the rocks are evidence that where 
there were no springs the water was stored up. 



258 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



There are many persons who hold that the very soil 
of Palestine was cursed, and that it can never be 
restored to its ancient glory. This is doubtful. The 
vale of Siddirn may have been blasted by the direct 
agency of God, and so some other spots may give 
evidence of the displeasure of God. But the curses 
and imprecations were mostly upon the inhabitants 
and not upon the soil. The barrenness and waste are 
due to neglect, and I feel certain if the waters of the 
Jordan w T ere turned upon the plain of Jericho, the 
land would be restored to its ancient fertility. So it 
is with the plain of Esdraelon. The abundant springs 
about it w T ould furnish enough water for irrigation, 
and the palm and fig, and olive would once more 
flourish there as of old. 

It is difficult for one to realize at present that he is 
in a land of milk and honey, and yet in the more 
fertile portions there are many goats and sheep. At 
certain seasons when the sun has scorched the grass, 
milk is scarce, but during the spring when the land is 
covered with fresh herbage the Arabs do not need 
for their own use all the milk. They then make but- 
ter and cheese for which they find a ready sale in the 
towns. Neither cheese nor butter look very palata- 
ble. The cheese is made into cakes about as wide as 
the hand and perhaps an inch thick. It looks white 
and is made of unskimmed milk, and is said to be 
nourishing. It is exposed for sale along the streets 
of the larger towns. It is covered with flies and its 
fragrance is overwhelming. The butter is also 
intended to be white and one need not put on magni- 
fying glasses to discover the goat hairs in it. They 
help to give it color, whether they improve the flavor 
I did not learn, neither was I much inclined to try it. 



CHURNING BUTTER. 



259 



It looks very much like batter, and generally can be 
poured out of a dish. It has not the consistency our 
butter has, and never is hard or firm. It is not made 
of cream, but simply of sweet milk which is shaken 
in the hide of a goat. The cut shows the manner of 
churning in most sections of the land. 




GOAT SKIN BUTTER CHURN. 



The farmers also keep some cattle, but these are 
not for milk, but rather for plowing and thrashing. 
You do not often get cow's milk. They are compell- 
ed to do too much work to produce milk. During 



260 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the summer food is scarce and of such a nature as is 
not milk-producing. For goats and sheep the land is 
much more favorable. They have a larger range, 
can climb the almost inaccessible hills and gather 
whatever herbage they can find. So we see that even 
to-day Palestine is a country where there is great 
wealth of milk. But it was more so a land of milk in 
the days of Israel than now. 

We also pass the ancient Shunem, an humble vil- 
lage on an elevation about 200 feet above the plain. 
The grain fields come up to the very edge of the vil- 
lage as in the days of old when the son of the Shuna- 
mite woman went out and had a sun-stroke, crying 
out to his father, "My head! My head!" He was car- 
ried to his mother on whose lap he sat until noon, 
and then died. Across the plain the mother and 
servant go as fast as their animals can carry them to 
Mount Carmel, to call to their help the prophet 
Elisha. Then the form of the prophet is seen coming 
across the plain towards Shunem. He had been 
entertained in the house of the family more than 
once, and now in their trouble he is ready to help 
them. He stretches himself upon the child and he 
opened his eyes. 

After leaving Shunem and turning the western 
slope of Little Hermon, we come upon the village of 
Nain. It must have been a beautiful place once for 
the name means "fair." Now it is a ragged village, 
surrounded with much rubbish. If it was ever wall- 
ed, all traces of the walls have disappeared. The 
expression in the gospel, "gate of the city," may 
have referred simply to the entrance, as most of these 
villages have one chief entrance or street. There are 
some rock-cut tombs in the vicinity and it may be to 



TABOR. 



261 



one of these they were carrying the only son of that 
poor widow when Christ met them. His heart was 
moved with compassion for the poor woman, and he 
restored her son. 

"He looked upon her, and his heart was moved, 
Weep not he said; and as they stayed the bier 
He gently drew the pall from out her grasp 
And laid it back in silence from the dead: 

A moment's space 

He stood and prayed— then taking the cold hand, 
He said, Arise ! And instantly the breast 
Heaved in its cerements, and a sudden flash 
Kan through the lines of the divided lips, 
And, with a murmur of his mother's name, 
He trembled, and sat upright in his shroud! — 
And while the mourners hung upon his neck, 
Jesus went calmly into Nain." 



After leaving Nain we soon come to the foot of 
Mount Tabor. 




MOUNT TABOR. 



This mountain standing isolated upon the plain 
fixes itself indelibly on the mind. It rises up sud- 
denly about 1500 feet above the plain. For the 
most part it is bare. This is the traditional site of 
the transfiguration. 



CHAPTER XX. 



NAZARETH. 



RIDE TO— CAMP AT. — SABBATH. — FOUNTAIN OF VIRGIN. — 
CHURCH OF ANNUNCIATION. — CARPENTER SHOP OF 
JOSEPH. — MOUNT OF PRECIPITATION. — BAKE- 
OVEN. — THE HAND MILL, &C. 

T^ROM Tabor to Nazareth is six or seven miles. It 



began to rain just as we left the Mount, and at 



times it came down in torrents. There was no 
shelter and the best we could do was to keep on our 
way. The muleteers sang and shouted, and seemed 
to enjoy it. There is nothing joyous in the song of 
these sons of the desert. Their songs seemed to be 
in the minor key, a sort of monotonous tone. They 
are accustomed to all sorts of weather and have 
become hardened. They smiled at us as we donned 
our rubbers and raised our umbrellas : But even this 
protection was not sufficient. The rain came with 
such force, and the wind was continually prying up 
our protection so that our legs and feet became wet. 
It was certainly unpleasant but we stoically endured 
it, because we could not do otherwise. At times the 
clouds broke away and the sun shone out beautifully, 
and then in twenty minutes it began to rain again as 
hard as ever. 

At last we began to ascend the hills beyond which 
Nazareth lies nestled on the hillside. To the right of 
us a high rocky ridge terminates suddenly, which 




RAIN! RAIN! 



263 



according to tradition is the Mount of Precipitation. 
It was raining yet. Rain, sunshine, then rain again. 
One time the clouds seemed to have rolled away 
altogether and the conductor of our party who was 
unfortunate enough to be caught without proper pro- 
tection, and who was wet to the skin said, "I am sure 
the rain is over." He dismounted, took off his cloth- 
ing, wrung the water out of his pants and under- 
wear, dressed once more, mounted his horse and 
galloped off. But in less than ten minutes an omin- 
ous looking cloud came sailing over the high bluff 
along which we were riding and the rain came down 
once more in torrents, and his clothing was once more 
saturated. The showers were no longer broken, it 
was a heavy, steady rain. But we could not stop. 
The prospect of spending a quiet Sabbath amid the 
scenes where our Savior spent nearly thirty years of 
his life urged us on. Here we would be able to 
meditate upon the boyhood of Jesus, and picture to 
ourselves some of the scenes of his early years. 

Most of the cities and villages of this land can be 
seen from a distance, they are either on the plain, 
hill-top or side. But Nazareth lies in a depression 
among the hills, so that you cannot see it until you 
have climbed the elevation and look down upon it. 
As we rounded a curve in the road the village broke 
upon our view. It was raining yet. As we entered 
the village, the streets of which are narrow, we found 
them flooded, and as they all descend toward the val- 
ley the water came down with such force that our 
horses found it difficult to proceed. We finally 
reached a Khan where we rested until the arrival of 
the tents and baggage. The prospect before us was 
a gloomy one. The tents were to be pitched in a 



264 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



patch of ground surrounded by a cactus hedge to the 
north-east of the village. What could we do. We 
might have found inferior lodging in the village, but 
after debating the matter concluded to run our risk 
in camp. The tents were pitched in the rain, the 
bedding was damp, the floor a perfect slush, and we 
cold and chilly. A warm supper cheered us up 
somewhat and we went to bed early. One of the 
party said it would be impossible for him to sleep 
there, and so he sought shelter in the village. His 
report in the morning was that between the vermin, 
a squalling baby and a dozen or more torn cats he 
found little slumber. We all slept soundly. It was 
raining in the morning, but the thick clouds seemed 
to be breaking, and the prospect of a better day was 
before us. We were not mistaken. About ten 
o'clock the warm sun broke out and revived our 
drooping spirits. We left our wet tents and climbed 
to a bare rock which the sun speedily made dry, and 
here we whiled away an hour or two in talking about 
Nazareth and some of the events connected with its 
history. 

Nazareth is a clean looking place, the houses are 
built of a soft white lime-stone, and seem to be new. 
The hillside is quite steep and the houses seem to rise 
one above the other on the slope. One of the most 
conspicuous buildings is the Latin Convent, and but 
a single minaret is seen. We could see gardens with 
fig and olive and pomegranate trees, and altogether 
Nazareth was one of the prettiest villages we had 
seen. When the many sacred associations about the 
place came up it seemed pleasant to be there. The 
village must be much the same now as it was in the 
days when Jesus lived there. 



BETHLEHEM OF JUDEA. 



265 



Stapfer, in his "Palestine in the Time of Christ" 
suggests that Jesus was born in the vicinity of Naza- 
reth instead of at Bethlehem below Jerusalem. He 
says: "Near to Nazareth was a hamlet called Beth- 
lehem. In the Talmuds this name occurs, and in 
order to distinguish it from the village in Judea, 
bearing the same name, it is called Bethlehem 
Cerriyyah, which is equivalent to Bethlehem Nitser- 
iah, that is, Bethlehem near to Nacerriyyah, or in the 
district of Nazareth. It is impossible not to ask 
oneself if Jesus, who is called in the Gospels "the 
Nazarene," may not have been born in this very 
village near to Nazareth. Later on, this his birth- 
place may have become confounded with Bethlehem 
Ephratah in Judea, the cradle of the family of David, 
where, according to tradition, Messiah was to be 
born. We suggest this question without pretending 
to answer it. Bethlehem in Galilee still exists. It is 
the village of Beit-Lahm, north-east of Nazirah." 
There is no authority for supposing that this Bethle- 
hem near Nazareth is the birthplace of Jesus. 

One has a fine view not only of Nazareth, but of 
the surrounding country from the hill which rises 
about -100 feet above the village. On the north are 
the mountains of Lebanon and snowy Hermon, to 
the south-east, Tabor and Gilboa, and to the south 
the great plain of Esdraelon. It is probable that 
Jesus often climbed this hill to look upon that match- 
less scene. 

It seems that Nazareth was not much known in its 
early history, not even being mentioned in the Old 
Testament. Even Josephus who mentions many of 
the villages round about it does not seem to know of 
its existence. It was probably a small out-of-the-way 

18 



266 



UXDER EASTERN SKIES. 



place, not on the great caravan routes. It seems to 
have had a bad reputation for some reason for even 
one of the disciples asked the question: u Can there 
any good thing come out of Nazareth?" That the 
people were degenerate would appear from the fact 
that they endeavored to put Jesus to death by throw- 
ing him headlong from a steep hill. It was not until 
the time of the Crusades that it rose to some distinc- 
tion, but afterward it degenerated and only within 
the last century has it risen to be the chief town of 
the district. 

The present population of Nazareth is about 6,000. 
Of this number about 2,000 are Mohammedans, 1,000 
Roman Catholics, 2,500 are Greek Christians, and the 
Protestants number not much over a hundred. There 
seems to be considerable activity in the village, and 
some fine buildings have been erected. Though it is 
cleaner than most of the Palestine villages, yet it is 
filthy enough. The women of Nazareth are better 
looking than in other parts and dress more tastily, 
and as one sees the children scampering about, the 
thought comes to the mind that here in this place 
Jesus as a child played just as these children are 
doing. And the home life of the people to-day is cer- 
tainly what it was in the days of Christ. 

Dr. Farrar has given a graphic picture of the home 
life of Jesus: u He lived there as lived the other chil- 
dren of peasant parents. Nothing can be plainer 
than those houses, with the doves sunning themselves 
on the white roofs, and the vines wreathing about 
them. Within, on a low ledge that runs around the 
wall, are neatly rolled up the quilts which serve as 
beds; and on the same ledge are ranged the earthen 
vessels for daily use. Near the door stand the large 



FOUNTAIN AT NAZARETH. 



207 



common water-jars of red clay, with a few twigs and 
green leaves thrust into their orifices to keep the 
water cool. At meal-time a painted wooden stool is 
placed in the center of the apartment, a large tray is 
put upon it, and in the middle of the tray stands the 
dish of rice or meal, or stewed fruits, from which all 
help themselves in common; and both before and 
after the meal, the servant, or the youngest member 
of the family, pours water over the hands from a 
brazen ewer into a brazen bowl." To the truthful- 
ness of this picture I can testify as some of us spent 
nearly an hour in a private house on Saturday after- 
noon while the tents were being pitched and made 
ready for us. There was but a single room for the 
entire family, and everything was severely plain. 
The bed clothing was rolled up and placed on one 
side of the room, the swallows flew in at the open 
door and chattered gaily seemingly Avithout fear. 

The water of Nazareth is not very abundant and 
the supply is principally derived from cisterns where 
it is stored during the rainy season. There is but one 
fountain there, the Fountain of the Virgin, which 
affords an abundant supply, but is said to fail some 
in the autumn. There is a crowd of Nazareth women 
and girls about this fountain from early dawn until 
dark. They come from all parts of the village having 
on their heads the great earthen water jars so com- 
mon in this land. They chatter and laugh and seem 
to be merry. Many of them do their washing here. 
We saw some washing wool which would be finally 
woven into the coarse garments they wear. One of 
our party who had a photographing outfit endeavored 
to get a picture of a group at this fountain, but they 
were not willing. Many of them scampered away. 



268 



VXD EE EASTERX SKIES. 



They have a superstition that some evil will befall 
them if their picture is taken and carried away. This 
fountain is an interesting place. It has been in use 
for ages, and is undoubtedly the very fountain to 
which Mary and Jesus repaired for water. Geikie 
says of this fountain: u The water comes through 
spouts in a stone wall, under an arched recess built 
for shelter, and falls into a trough at which a dozen 
persons can stand ssde by side. Thence it runs into 
a square stone tank at the side, against which gossips 
at all hours delight to lean. The water that flows 
over the top of the trough below the spouts makes a 
small pool immediately beneath them, and there 
women wash their linen, and even their children; 
standing in the water, ankle deep, their baggy trou- 
sers — striped pink or green — tucked between their 
knees, while those coming for water are continually 
passing and repassing with their jars, empty or full, 
on their heads." 

You are also shown the workshop of Jesus. It 
seems that the occupation of Joseph was that of a 
carpenter, and it is more than likely that Jesus assist- 
ed in his work. The work of a carpenter was differ- 
ent in those days from what it is at present. The 
houses were built of stone so that it could not apply 
to house building. - He was properly a wood- worker 
making yokes and ploughs, tent poles, stools, &c. 

You look in vain for any traces of the S}magogue 
into which Jesus went on the Sabbath day. Mac- 
Leod has given a most beautiful picture of Nazareth 
and the Lord's return to it. "How vividly the mere 
external circumstances in which our Lord was placed, 
come back to us! It is Nazareth among the Galilean 
hills. We know the scene almost as well as if it had 



CHRIST'S FIRST SERMON IN NAZARETH. 269 



been a valley in our own native land — so many trav- 
elers have used their eyes for us, and brought back 
pictures of what they saw. We know the quiet val- 
ley among the hills, the town climbing up the one 
side, the steep, narrow streets, the white terra-cotta 
houses, the fountain which supplies the town with 
water, the green plateau which makes its foreground, 
and the enclosing hills from the heights of which the 
Lord could see, stretching on every side, glimpses of 
the world he came to redeem; and from the lower 
cliffs of which he was soon to have a foretaste of the 
cross. What is a little town now was a mere village 
then, and so utterly unknown that neighbors could 
say of it, 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?' 
Such as it was, it was there he had passed his boy- 
hood, and grown up to manhood; and this is his first 
appearance as a preacher to those who dwelt in it. 
How well known, and yet also how little known he 
was to those who were that day to hear him. In how 
few of them was there the throbbing of hearts which 
had been waiting and praying for the consolation of 
Israel! As they struggled on towards the synagogue, 
along the steep and narrow streets, the narrow vil- 
lage heart would, no doubt, express itself in insignifi- 
cant looks and doubtful shakings of the head. From 
other places they had heard of their townsmen. 
Elsewhere he had done wonderful works, and spoken 
wonderful words. The fame of him had been passing 
from ear to ear, through all the region round about. 
To-day they were to see and hear for themselves. 
'The eyes of all them that were in the synagogue 
were fastened upon him.' Yes, we can all imagine 
that scene. It is a strange moment for us always, 
when some familiar object discloses a hidden and 



270 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



unsuspected worth. To the villagers of Nazareth the 
moment was very strange. Was not this the carpen- 
ter? Was it not Joseph's son? Had they not seen 
him daily all those by past years? Had they not 
known him since he was a child? He had climbed 
their streets, had gone down to their well, had wan- 
dered among their hills, had gone out and in among 
their vineyards and cornfields just as themselves had 
done. And lo! to-day, he comes before them as a 
prophet, and more." 

In passing through the village we came upon one 
of the public bake-ovens on the corner of a street. 
A Nazarene woman was just removing her bread. 
The oven was shaped something like the old time 
bee-hives, only larger. This was heated on the in- 
side, and the bread was laid upon a flat surface where 
it soon baked. The bread is made of unleavened 
dough, and is very thin. We were invited to taste it, 
and coming fresh from the oven it was not so bad. 
In some parts of the country this bread is in large 
thin sheets, in some instances not much thicker than 
strawboard It is related that a gentleman, who with 
others dined with a family in this country, looked 
about the table and inquired for the bread when he 
was politely informed that he had it on his lap. He 
had picked it up thinking it was a napkin. 

Among the wonders of the place is the Church of 
the Annunciation, a modern building, yet it is said so 
early as A. D. 700 a church stood on this site. It is 
on this spot, the monks say, that the angel Gabriel 
appeared to the Virgin. A spring bubbles up in the 
grotto back of the altar, and flows into a well which 
supplies water for pilgrims. One of the wonders of 
the grotto is a heavy column which though once 



WONDERS OF NAZARETH. 



271 



united is now divided, the upper portion suspended 
from the ceiling. It is said to have been separated by 
an earthquake. The good monks, however, did not 
explain why it is that the upper and lower portion of 
this pillar are of two different kinds of marble. We 
also saw at another place a large oval stone which 
was told us was the one on which our Lord eat the 
passover with his disciples. On the wall you see an 
inscription in Latin which gives you the following in- 
formation : "It is a continued and uninterrupted tra- 
dition among all the Oriental nations that this stone, 
called the Table of Christ, is the very one upon which 
our Lord Jesus Christ did eat with his disciples both 
before and after his resurrection from the dead. And 
the holy Roman Church hath granted an indulgence 
of seven years to all the faithful visiting this sacred 
place, in reciting at length there one 'Pater' and 'Ave 
Maria' whilst they are in a state of grace." 

The Christian women, unlike the Mohammedan do 
not wear veils, but simply have a light and gaily col- 
ored scarf on their heads. To me the women seemed 
bolder than anywhere else in Palestine. Many of 
them wear strings of coins on either side of the face. 
It may be it was such a coin as this that was lost by 
the woman in the parable. 

The bazars of Nazereth are not very extensive. 
There are quite a number of shoemaker shops, as well 
as blacksmith shops. Their bellows and anvil are 
very small. Here they make a folding knife, shaped 
something like our razors one of which I purchased 
for four cents. Our camp was besieged with traders 
of all kinds. Knives and coins, spurious and genuine 
were offered for sale at marvelously high prices, and 
bought extremely low. One old gentleman, most 



272 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



poorly clad, filthy, his eyes sore, came out having in 
one hand an ancient looking turkey, and in the other 
a single coin. All that he could say was "Antiqua, 
antiqua." We did not know which was intended as 
the antique, the turkey or the coin. We bought 
neither, the one was a bundle of bones, the other a 
piece of copper. 

But where is the Mount of Precipitation. The tra- 
ditional place is at least two miles down the valley. 
But this surely cannot be the place as it is said the 
people took Christ to the brow of the hill, on which 
their city was built, to cast him down. The tradition- 
al place is too far from the village unless Nazareth 
anciently stood further down the valley. In fact a 
place is pointed out where it is said the village form- 
erly stood. The guardians of the sacred places in Naz- 
areth when told that the traditional site could not be 
the one, as not agreeing with the gospel, innocently 
said the village formerly stood at another place, not 
thinking this would set aside or destroy the places 
they now worshiped as sacred. There are several 
steep places in the village and near, that would an- 
swer very well as a Mount of Precipitation. 

At Nazareth I saw for the first time a hand mill to 
which such frequent reference is made in Scripture. 
As we were meandering through the streets of the 
town we heard a peculiar humming noise, and on 
stepping up to the door of a building found that it 
proceeded from a hand mill which was worked by 
two women. There was but this single mill, and it 
may have been the only one in Nazareth, and this 
circumstance made clear the language in Ecclesiastes, 
"The sound of the grinding is low, because the grind- 
ers are few." These mills are undoubtedly the same 



THE HAXD MILL. 



275 



as those used in the time of Christ and earlier. It is 
a very simple machine consisting of two stones, per- 
haps two feet in diameter, the one resting upon the 
other. The lower a little convex the upper made so 
as to fit, and having a small hole in the center into 
which the grain is poured. There is a handle fastened 
in the upper stone with which the women turned it, 
the crushed grain coming out at the side in shape of 
coarse flour. Only women do grinding. The work 
did not seem to be burdensome to them for they 
laughed and chatted at work as though it were mere 
child's play. Here the force of the Lord's expression 
came clearly to my mind, "Two women shall be 
grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken and the 
other left/' The sound of the mill has always been 
one calculated to fill the heart with joy, and hence 
when Jeremiah wishes to set forth the desolation of 
the land he declares to the people that God "will take 
from them the voice of gladness, the voice of the 
bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of 
the mill-stones, and the light of the candle." And 
when John wishes to describe the utter desolation 
and overthrow of the mystic Babylon, he says, "the 
sound of a mill-stone shall be heard no more at all 
in thee." 

Xazareth is full of solemn associations, and themes 
for meditation can never be lacking where Jesus spent 
so many years of his life. I shall never forget the 
quiet Sabbath spent at Nazareth. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



TOWARDS THE SEA OF GALILEE. 



CANA. — MOUNT OF BEATITUDES. — FLOWERS. — TIBERIAS, 
ANCIENT AND MODERN. — HOT BATHS. 

T^ROM Nazareth we kept on our northward track, 



winding in and out among the hills, sometimes 



passing over a stretch of fertile plain, then skirt- 
ing the barren hills. Every mile northward seems to 
bring us into a better country. The valleys are wa- 
tered more abundantly, and the plains and hills seem 
to put on a greener and fresher look. A few hours 
ride brings us to what is reported as the site of Cana or 
Kenna of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first 
miracle. Still it is not altogether certain whether 
this is the Cana of the gospels. An old tradition holds 
it to be the very place. But Dr. Robinson who has 
made faithful research and observation thinks he 
found the true Cana some four miles farther north. 
There is a Kenna in that region to which he heard the 
name El-Jalil applied, and came to the conclusion it 
must be the Cana of Galilee. The first Kenna, how- 
ever, is coming to be regarded as the Cana where the 
wedding was to which Jesus was invited. 

The village is on a hillside sloping to the south-east. 
It is a small place, but the surroundings are beautiful. 
There are extensive vineyards, and large groves of 
fig, olive and pomegranate trees.* 




WATER-POTS. 



275 



Here in a church you see several large water- pots 
which the enterprising inhabitants say were the very 
pots in use at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, and in 
which the water was converted into wine. It is hard- 
ly possible that if the town has gone to ruins the 
water-pots would remain. It may be they are the 
same shape as those anciently used, for the utensils 
as well as the customs of the people do not change. 
It may never be decided which of the above places is 
the true Cana, but that is of little consequence. The 
only thing we know about the matter is that Jesus 
was at a wedding festival at Cana of Galilee, and that 
he made the name imperishable by the miracle he 
performed there. Thomson uses the following lan- 
guage in regard to the place. "Poor little lonely 
thing ! the proudest cities on earth might envy your 
lot. Mneveh and Babylon, and a thousand other 
names may be forgotten, but not Cana of Galilee. It 
may even come to pass that Paris, London and New 
York will be dropped out of mind, and their very sites 
be lost ; but to the end of time, and to the end of the 
world, whenever and wherever there shall be the 
voice of the bride and the bridegroom, then and there 
will Cana of Galilee be remembered. Some names 
we pronounce with honor, some with shame and sor- 
row, many with cold indifference, but Cana will ever 
mingle in the song of the happy, to symbolize the 
peace and purity of domestic happiness — the bliss of 
wedded love." 

The water-pots we saw at Cana were very large, 
and it is probable that the six water-pots of stone 
which held two or three firkins apiece, were equal to 
about four barrels. This would seem a large amount 
of wine for a wedding feast. It may be possible that 



276 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the company was large, and we know that the mar- 
riage festivities in the east are frequently kept up for 
a week or more, and we may imagine that the com- 
pany at this time was unusually large because Jesus 
was to be there. Whether this wine was intoxicating 
it is not possible for me to decide, and yet I am cer- 
tain that Jesus could in no way sanction the drunk- 
enness so prevalent in the world to-day. 

A few hours after leaving Cana we come into the 
region of the Horns of Hattin or Mount of Beatitudes, 
which has been designated as the probable scene of 
the Sermon on the Mount. The approach to the 
horns is by a long and gentle slope. They have re- 
ceived the name because of their fancied resemblance 
to the horns of a camel's saddle. These horns are 
about sixty feet above the plain, and the plain itself 
rises nearly 1,200 feet above the level of the sea. This 
seems to be the only mountain in the neighborhood 
which would answer for the gathering of a great mul- 
titude. It may be that Jesus came down from one 
of these horns to the plain below. It is only since 
the time of the crusades that this place has been des- 
ignated as that of the Sermon on the Mount. And it 
is likely this is the place, as it is easy of access from 
all parts. And besides as Geikie suggests it is the 
only "mountain," detached from others in this region. 
All other elevations are members of a chain of moun- 
tains. 

It was on this elevation July 5th, 1187, that the 
Crusaders were defeated, and the Christian kingdom 
of Jerusalem received its death blow. The Crusaders 
having had possession of the land for nearly a cen- 
tury became weakened by internal dissensions, by 
immorality and carelessness. Their conduct was 



BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE. 



277 



anything but Christian, and their downfall was inev- 
itable. In this state they were not able to resist the 
great army of 50,000 under Saladin. It was in mid- 
summer when the sun was scorching, and when water 
was scarce. They rallied about their leader and 
made a strong effort to defeat the enemy, but with 
disastrous results. A few of the crusaders escaped, 
but the majority were taken captive. Some of them 
were sold into slavery, others were put to death, 
while Raynald who by breach of faith had been the 
cause of the war, it is said, was put to death by Saladin 
himself. All Palestine at once yielded to the Moslem 
power. 

The landscape here is such as one seldom sees any 
where. Looking eastward you have a glimpse of the 
sea about which the Savior performed so many of his 
mighty works. On the slopes there were large flocks 
of sheep and goats, and here and there extensive herd 
of cattle while nestling on the hillsides were the black 
tents of the Arabs. Far away to the left were the 
mountains of Safet where was the city which the 
Jews consider next to Jerusalem in holiness. It was 
indeed a city set on a hill. 

Vegetation becomes somewhat more abundant as 
we approach the sea. The flowers seem to be more 
abundant too. Indeed there is no lack of them any- 
where, but this afternoon we rode through great 
patches of the richest and most gaily colored annuals, 
bulbous plants, and shrubs. There were masses of 
brilliant colors, the yellow of marigold, the scarlet of 
poppies, and of a beautiful adonis, yellow and white 
peas, cyclamens, hyacinths, daisies, and many others 
of which I do not know the names. Nature has been 
very lavish in pouring out her beauty amid these 



278 



UXDER EASTERN SKIES. 



scenes hallowed by the clear Savior of men. There is 
a continuous descent to the sea, the nearer we come 
the more rugged the way. The landscape is strewn 
with black basalt bowlders as though thrown up by 
some mighty convulsion and thus sown broadcast. 
Toward evening we entered the ruined wall of Ti- 
berias, and pitched our tents a few yards from the 
waters of Galilee. The same blue waters which had 
so often borne their maker, and been hushed to 
silence by his voice. 

The Tiberias of to-day is a wretched place, but the 
former city was one of splendor as some of the ruins 
indicate. The castle which is at the north end, and 
near which our tents were pitched was well nigh de € 
molished by the earthquake of 1837. The walls also 
were much injured, and nearly half the population 
killed. Earthquakes are of quite frequent occurrence 
in Palestine, though we have mention of but one in 
the Old Testament, that during the reign of Uzziah. 
This is mentioned by Amos, and again in Zechariah 
where we read: "And ye shall flee to the valley of the 
mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall 
reach unto Azal ; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled 
from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah 
king of Judah." In the year 1759 Tiberias was also 
much damaged by an earthquake but not to the ex- 
tent it was in 1837. During the earthquake of that 
year the hot baths to the south of the city rose to 
such a degree of heat that thermometers were useless 
in taking the temperature. 

Tiberias was at one time the intellectual center of 
the Jews, their great university was located here for 
a period of three hundred years. Here the Mishna 
was reduced to writing, and the Gamara was compil- 



TIBERIAS. 



279 



ed, comprising what is known as the Jerusalem 
Talmud. There are many Jews here and besides 
Jerusalem, Safet, and Hebron, it is the holiest of 
places. Here the true Messiah will arise from the 
sea and establish his throne on Safet. How strange 
that this delusion should cling to the Jews for so 
many ages. Here in this sacred city by the sea- they 
wait for the coming of the Christ. Most of the Jews 
in the city are from Poland. They are poor, depend- 
ing for existence on the contributions of their breth- 
ren throughout the world. They are also filthy and 
disagreeable. 

The Ancient Tiberias, built by Herod Antipas, be- 
tween A. D. 20 and 27 was a most beautiful city, and 
stretched quite a distance along the shore as is seen 
by the ruins which yet cover the ground. The 
materials of these ruins seem to indicate that they 
were brought from Egypt, being Syenite granite. It 
was undoubtedly one of the finest cities of Palestine 
in the time of Christ. The location was a splendid 
one and we may well imagine that Herod lavished 
much wealth upon it, and its palaces and colonades 
must have been the wonder and admiration of the 
people. It is said that the city was built on an old 
cemetery and this would make the place unclean to 
the devout Jew and they would not make it their 
residence. Hence it was necessary for Herod to pop- 
ulate the city by bringing in slaves and heathen freed- 
men and giving them homes. 

We have no evidence at all that Jesus ever entered 
the city, Avhich seems strange to us when we remem- 
ber the many miracles wrought by him about the sea. 
It is possible that on account of the mixed population 
as well as the enmity of Herod towards Christ that 



280 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



he did not enter. Besides the city being built over 
an old cemetery would make the place unclean to 
the Jew. Josephus says: "Many sepulchres were 
here to be taken away in order to make room for the 
city of Tiberias, whereas our law pronounces that 
such persons are unclean for seven days." To visit 
this place would make Jesus and his disciples cere- 
monially unclean, and so prevent them from coming 
in contact with the Jewish people. 

The fact that Tiberias was built over a cemetery 
is evidence that an older city must have existed in 
the vicinity. The ruins which are scattered along the 
shore would indicate that it lay further south than 
the present city, or the city of Herod. The tombs 
which are found even now in the rocks about the 
city on the north are very ancient, dating back of the 
time of Herod. But what this city was which once 
occupied the shore of Galilee long before Herod 
built his, is altogether a matter of conjecture. Some 
suggest it was Hammath, which took its name from 
the hot baths there which were famous in the olden 
time. Others are of the opinion it was Chinneroth, 
from which the lake or sea took its most ancient 
name. 

After the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews flock- 
ed to Tiberias in great numbers, and it became the 
principal school of rabbinical lore, and is still regard- 
ed by them as one of their sacred cities. The major- 
ity of the four or five thousand inhabitants at present 
are Jews, and are fanatically devoted to the Talmud. 
They are as exclusive and bigoted as the Mohamme- 
dans, and unless they are converted to Christianity 
the land will be no better off because of their settling 
in it. Here are the tombs of Kabbi Akiba, and the 



AN UNHEALTHY PLACE. 



2S1 



great Jewish commentator Maiinonides. It was this 
Rabbi Akiba who was so wedded to form and cere- 
monialism that he declared if he were in prison and 
dying of thirst, and a cup of water were sent to him 
he would wash his hands instead of allaying his thirst. 
We can only pray that the Lord will hasten the day 
when these fanatical Jews, as well as the bigoted 
Mohammedans, may be converted in soul and body 
and live after the precerjts of him who taught on 
these shores. 

Late in spring and during the summer Tiberias is 
an unhealthy place. It lies about six hundred feet 
below the level of the Mediterranean sea. This of 
itself would raise the temperature very preceptibly, 
but besides this the range of hills on the west and 
about a thousand feet in height shuts off the fresh 
breezes from the Mediterranean. Some who have 
been there in the summer state that at midnight the 
thermometer registered 100 degrees, and that a steam 
or mist rose up from the lake as though from a boil- 
ing caldron. Very little rain falls during the winter 
season, and tropical vegetation flourishes on the 
shore. Here you see the oleander in bloom early in 
the spring long before it flowers in the higher valleys, 
the nubk-thorn also abounds, as well as the palm. 
The temperature as well as the appearance of some 
portions of the shore resemble very much the valley 
of the Dead Sea. Fevers and the severest forms of 
ague are prevalent about Tiberias, and so are all sorts 
of vermin. I would not by any means choose Tiber- 
ias as a place of residence. The streets are narrow, 
very crooked and filthy. In fact it is nothing more 
than a collection of crumbling, battered hovels, some 
of the lanes, for they cannot be called streets, are 

19 



282 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



overarched with a rude awning of sticks and pieces 
of old cloth and mats. Some of the inhabitants are 
conspicuous for their lack of clothing, and all of them 
for their filth. 

The hot baths are at least a mile south of the pres- 
ent city, and they have been known and famous for 
their curative properties for ages, and are visited even 
at the present time by invalids from a great distance. 
There is an old, dilapidated stone building with a 
small dome over the springs where the baths are 
taken. The water flows into a large circular reservoir 
which is enclosed in a chamber under the dome. 
There are four springs, the waters of which run into 
the reservoir where it is held until cool enough for 
bathing. As it issues from the springs it is too hot 
even to immerse the hand, and it is said an egg may 
be boiled in it. One does not feel very much like 
using the water after it has been made use of by 
persons afflicted with all kinds of diseases. The 
water it is said has the taste of warm sea water, is 
bitter and has a strong smell. Many years ago an 
explorer found a hot air cave in the hills north-west 
of the town. But the current of air was so strong 
that it was impossible to carry a light. The floor, too, 
was so slippery that he could advance but a short 
distance into the mouth of it. This cave and the hot 
springs are evidence that the whole region about the 
town is over a subterranean fire which may at any 
moment send destruction upon the town and vicinity. 
Perhaps the great depression of the Sea of Galilee 
may be accounted for by volcanic action. 



CHAPTER XXII. 
SEA OF GALILEE. 



ITS NAME. — FISHING. — EVENTS IN ITS HISTORY, ETC. 

^ ^ T HAVE created seven seas, saith the Lord, but 
out of them all I have chosen none but the Sea 
of Gennesareth," such is the belief of the 
Rabbis, and they look upon it as sacred because they 
expect that out of its waters the Messiah will arise. 
The only name by which this sea is known in the Old 
Testament is that of Chinneroth or "the sea of Chin- 
nereth." The name was perhaps derived from a town 
of the same name which once stood on its shores. It 
is called the lake of Gennesaret from the plain of that 
name on its northwestern side. It is called the sea 
of Tiberias, from the city of Tiberias, on its shore, 
and the name. Galilee was given it because it was in 
the district of Galilee. The sea is located about thir- 
teen miles south of the waters of Merom, about sixty 
miles northeast of Jerusalem, and about twenty-six 
miles east of the Mediterranean. During the winter 
or rainy season it receives the water from many 
brooks or torrents from the neighboring hills. The 
length of the sea is twelve or more miles, and its 
breadth from four to seven. It has an oval or rather 
pear shape, the largest end being at the north. The 
sea is surrounded by an almost continuous chain of 
hills, broken only on the plain of Gennesaret, and at 
the Jordan, and receding some at Tiberias. 



•284 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The waters of the sea are sweet for the most part, 
With the exception of where the hot springs flow into 
it below Tiberias. Some travelers have claimed that 
they have discovered a saltish taste even in the ex- 
treme north. But however this may be, they are 
sweet and clear. There is an old story related by 
Tacitus and repeated by others that the waters of the 
Jordan How directly through the center without 
mingling with .the waters of the lake. But there is 
no foundation for this. At least so far as I have been 
able to learn no one has ever observed this current 
through- it, and yet it may be possible. Fish are 
abundant, and there are many varieties in these wa- 
ters. They are also excellent as I can testify after 
having eaten of them. They can well be abundant 
as not very many of them are taken either by hook 
or net. Some of our party carried line and hook 
with them so as to be able to say they caught a fish 
in the Sea of Galilee, but the fish must have heard of 
their ambition, and the only u bites" the brethren got 
were those of fleas or mosquitos. They turned away 
with sad hearts because this effort did not add much 
to their laurels. At any rate they came to the con- 
clusion that the fish of Galilee could not be fooled 
with a hook and line, even though the fisherman was 
a clergyman. I could not decide what the reason of 
their failure was. It may have been the fish were 
not accustomed to scientific angling. It may have 
been the glare of the ^clean, white, finely starched 
shirt fronts of the brethren. It may have been their 
sanctimonious looks. At any rate I am sure a boy 
with a calico shirt, or a boy without one, his pants 
rolled up to his knees and a willow twig for a pole, 
and a piece of cotton string for a line, a bent pin for 



ABUNDANCE OF FISH. 



285 



a hook could have pulled them out by the dozen. 
The brethren consoled themselves by saying they 
"never had any luck at home." I could not help but 
think there are many ministers who are just as un- 
successful in catching souls. The bait is an eloquent 
sermon, a fine organ the line, and the hook a gilded 
promise of good society and a fine time. But the 
poor fish who have come to get meat go away hungry, 
and are not to be fooled with such food as that Then 
the deluded ministers wonder why not more souls are 
saved. 

Tristram, in speaking of the great number and va- 
riety of fish in Galilee says : "The shoals were mar- 
velously black masses of many hundred yards long, 
with the black fins projecting out of the water as 
thickly as they could pack. No wonder that any net 
should break which enclosed such a shoal! Yet 
though the lake swarms with fish as I could not be- 
lieved water could swarm, there are but two boats ex- 
isting on its whole extent besides a ferry boat." In 
fact I saw but one boat during our stay about the 
lake. It was far different in the time of Christ, then 
the waters were stirred by whole fleets of boats. As 
fishing was the principal occupation of the people 
when the population was dense we may have 
some idea of the number of boats necessary to carry 
on the trade. It is said that Joseph us at one time 
collected over two hundred boats at the southern end 
of the sea to be used in an engagement against Tiber- 
ias. St. John in his gospel gives us a picture of a 
fishing scene such as was common in the days of the 
Savior. "After these things Jesus showed himself 
again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias ; and on 
this wise shewed he himself. There were together 



286 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Na- 
thanael of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, 
and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith 
unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We 
also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into 
a ship immediately; and that night they caught noth- 
ing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus 
stood on the shore ; but the disciples knew not that it 
was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, children, 
have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And 
he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of 
the ship, and ye shall find. They cast, therefore, and 
now they were not able to draw it for the multitude 
of fishes." 

Galilee is a beautiful sheet of water, and yet by 
no means as beautiful as the Swiss lakes or those of 
our own land. Many writers have gone into ecstacy 
over it, and have written of it as the most beautiful 
lake in the world. Dozens of tourists, yes, hundreds 
of them have visited this lake and then have given 
their impressions; and these impressions seem to 
have been the same in all. They have written them, 
and you have read: "Beautiful Galilee." "Nowhere 
in the world anything like it," "A perfect gem in 
its setting of hills," etc. My own impression was 
different. I speak of course of the Sea of Galilee 
aside from the sacred associations connected with it. 
These are many, and endear this sheet of water to 
every Bible student. So far as natural beauty is con- 
cerned there is very little. The hills about it are 
bare, and thus do not have the effect upon the water 
that hills have which are covered with green. Along 
the northwestern end of the lake the shore is marshy 
and in many places lined with high weeds, with some 



EVENING REVERIE. 



287 



few oleanders. People who visit it have in mind the 
many sacred scenes which took place here, and their 
imagination runs away with them. It is true one 
cannot help but think of these things, they have 
made this shore immortal and they come crowding 
thickly upon the mind. Here we see the toiling sons 
of Zebedee, their well-filled nets and sinking boats, 
the listening multitudes, the crowded shore, Jesus 
teaching them out of the ship a little way from the 
land, the sudden storm which tossed the boat and so 
frightened the fishermen that they awoke him in 
order that he might calm the winds and waves. 
These things come before you and you cannot help 
but love Galilee. But when night comes and the 
moon throws its silvery light upon the waters you 
feel a spell upon you that you cannot throw off. I 
ventured from my tent to "view the landscape o'er," 
by the light of the queen of night. How bewitching 
the scene and hour. Far away stretched the blue 
water, not a wave stirring its placid surface, and far 
beyond the dim outlines of the hills. It was to me a 
strange delight to stand there and let my imagination 
have free rein and think of Jesus who made those 
waters immortal. How quiet everything was. I 
could almost hear my own heart beat. A jackal's 
mournful howl in the distance was the only sound 
which came to my ear. In imagination I saw the sea 
moved by a mighty wind and a boat tossed upon it. 
In that long ago it was the f ourth watch of the night, 
and over those waves walked the incarnate Son of 
God. The disciples are frightened, but when tney 
hear the encouraging words, "Be of good cheer, it is 
I be not afraid," their hearts are calm. Somewhere 
near this lake Jesus went up into a mountain apart 



288 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



to pray. It might be near me. I can hardly describe 
my feelings as I stood in that hallowed spot. We 
gathered in one of the tents and sang some of the 
good hymns we so often heard in our churches at 
home. Among them was that precious: 

He leadeth me ! Oh ! blessed thought, 

Oh ! words with heavenly comfort fraught ; 

What'er I do, where'er I be, 

Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me. 

Sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom 
Sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom, 
By waters still, o'er troubled sea 
Still 'tis his hand that leadeth me. 

Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine, 
Nor ever murmur nor repine— 
Content, whatever lot I see, 
Since 'tis my God that leadeth me. 

And when my task on earth is done, 
When, by thy grace, the victory 's won, 
E'en death's cold wave I will not flee, 
Since God through Jordan leadeth me. 

God had wonderfully led and guided us thus far, 
and we expressed our gratitude in this hymn. On 
the shores of this sea the Savior and his disciples had 
often gathered. Here he had spoken to them Avords 
of comfort and wisdom and we could not help but 
feel impressed with the solemnity of the place and 
hour. So long as memory holds her place and reason 
lasts will I remember that night on the hillside by 
the waters of Galilee. 

The more important events of the Sea of Galilee 
are connected with the ministry of Jesus. Some- 
where on the northern shore of the sea was "his own 
cify." On the shores of this sea he called the fisher- 
men Simon Peter, and Andrew and James and John, 
and from this lowly, yet honorable occupation they 
were to rise to the dignity of being fishers of men. 



DIFFERENT OPINIONS. 



289 



Here he in the midst of the storm made the winds 
and the sea obey him, bringing about him a great 
calm. Here, too, he showed himself to his disciples 
after his resurrection, and from somewhere on this 
shore the inhabitants of a certain district prayed him 
to depart out of their country. 

It may be of interest to the reader to have the 
descriptions of others who have visited this sacred 
place. Porter after looking upon the sea at evening 
says: "The silence was profound. Even nature 
seems to have fallen asleep. The river glided noise- 
lessly past, the sea was spread before me like a pol- 
ished mirror. East of the lake the side of Bashan's 
lofty plateau rose as a mountain chain, and at its- 
northern end my eye rested on the very scene of that 
miracle of mercy where thousands were fed, and at 
its southern end on that of the miracle of judgment, 
where the whole herd of swine ran violently down a 
steep place, and perished in the waters. Away to 
the west the shattered ramparts of Tiberias seemed 
to rise out of the bosom of the lake, and behind them 
a dark mountain, in whose caverned cliffs repose the 
ashes of many a learned rabbin, while over all 
appeared the graceful rounded top of Tabor. Farther 
to the right, on the white strand, I saw the huts of 
Magdala, with the coast of Gennesaret extending 
from it northward to Capernaum — Christ's own city." 
Conder in describing the sea says: "It is surrounded 
with precipices of limestone, except on the north, 
where a shelving slope leads to the shore from a 
plateau of basalt extending from the foot of the high- 
est range of Upper Galilee. The scenery of the lake 
is bare, and much tamer than that of the Dead Sea. 
The beach is narrow except on the northwest, where 



290 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the cliffs recede, leaving a fertile plain, two and 
one-half miles long and one mile broad, watered by 
several fine springs. The" pebbly, open shore on the 
north' is broken into numerous bays, and is fringed 
with dark oleander bushes. On the southeastern 
side is a palm grove, and a few palms dot the 
western shore. The ruddy cliffs on the west and the 
steep slopes on the east are bare and desolate, but 
the sweet waters of the lake, in calm weather mir- 
roring the surrounding hills and shining in the sun, 
present a beautiful scene, especially at evening. 
The sea is remarkable for its shoals of fish, for the 
violence of its sudden thunder storms, and the hot 
springs along its shores. The neighborhood of the 
lake is also peculiarly subject to volcanic distur- 
bances." Stapfer says : "The Lake of Tiberias is 
not of the deep blue color of the Mediterranean or 
the Lake of Geneva. It is of a greyish blue, like the 
Lake of Neuchatel, which it much resembles. This 
resemblance is rendered still more striking by the 
presence of large dark patches on the water, such as 
are constantly observed on the Swiss lakes, and for 
which no one has yet been able to account." 

Dr. Morris, after he had seen Galilee, went home 
and wrote : 

"Each cooing dove and sighing bough, 

That makes this eve so blest to me, 
Has something far diviner now : 

It bears me back to Galilee. 

Each flow'ry glen and mossy dell, 

Where happy birds in song agree, 
Through sunny morn the praises tell 

Of sights and sounds in Galilee. 



And when I read the thrilling lore 
Of him who walked upon the sea, 



SUDDEN STORMS. 



291 



I long, oh how I long once more 
To follow him in Galilee. 

O Galilee ! sweet Galilee ! 

Where Jesus loved so much to be ; 
O Galilee! blue Galilee! 

Come sing thy song again to me!" 

Stanley in looking upon the sea says: "It is a 
moment, if any, when recollections of the past disarm 
any attempt to criticise the details of the actual 
scene. Yet, whether it be tame and poor, as some 
travelers say, or eminently beautiful, as others, there 
is no doubt that it has a character of its own." So 
there are various- descriptions of this unique sea, but 
as before stated, aside from the sacred associations 
connected with it, I was not able to see much beauty 
in the lake or its surroundings. I would not by any 
means compare it with the Swiss or Italian lakes, or 
even some of our American lakes, and yet wdien 
there, one can hardly help but fall in with the sacred 
associations of the place and look upon Galilee as a 
beautiful sea. 

Though the waters were calm and usually are so, 
yet frequent, sudden and terrible storms sweep over 
it, stirring the waters to their depths. The peculiar 
conformation of the hills help to make the storms 
more violent. The wind rushes down the ravines 
and seemingly gathers strength because of its con- 
finement in the narrow channel and falls upon the 
waters like a fiend. Dr. Manning gives his exper- 
ience in the following language : U I had taken a 
boat, on a bright, cloudless morning, to explore the 
eastern shores and the point where the Jordan enters 
the lake. There was not a ripple on the water, not a 
perceptible current in the air. Almost without warn- 
ing, the wind rose; the waves crested with foam, 



292 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



began to break over the sides of the boat. I was sit- 
ting on a cushion, or pillow, on the flat, raised stern, 
in the hinder-part of the ship, and watched the crew 
toiling and rowing. But all their efforts were in 
vain. They were unable to make any way, for the 
wind was contrary. At length one of them jumped 
overboard, and, partly swimming, partly wading, 
towed the vessel ashore." 

Sir Charles Wilson also encountered one of these 
sudden storms : u The morning was delightful; a 
gentle, easterly breeze, and not a cloud in the sky to 
give warning of what was coming. Suddenly, about 
midday, there was a sound of distant thunder, and a 
small cloud, no larger than a man's hand, was seen 
rising over the heights of Lubieh, to the west. In a 
few moments the cloud appeared to spread, and 
heavy black masses came rolling down the hills, 
towards the lake, complete^ obscuring Tiberias and 
Hattin. At this moment the breeze died away, 
there was a few minutes of perfect calm, during 
which the sun shone out with intense power, and the 
surface of the lake was smooth and even as a mirror ; 
Tiberias, Mejdel, and other buildings stood out in 
sharp relief, from the gloom behind ; but they were 
soon lost sight of, as the thunder gust swept past 
them and, rapidly advancing across the lake, lifted 
the placid water into a bright sheet of foam. It 
would have fared ill with any light craft caught in 
mid-lake by the storm, and we could not help, think- 
ing of that memorable occasion on which the storm 
is so graphically described as coming down upon 
the lake." The above descriptions are vivid enough 
to give one an idea of the power of the wind in 
this valley. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



NORTHWARD ALONG THE SEA. 



RIDE ALONG THE LAKE. — MAGDALA.— PLAIN OF GEN- 
NESARET. — INSECTS. — KHAN MINYEH. — SITE OP 
CAPERNAUM. — CAMELS. —MEDITATIONS. 

WE were awake early in the morning, for this 
is the most pleasant part of the day in this 
region. The sea was calm and smooth as 
glass. The sun was just peeping up over the hills 
east of the sea, and for a time the waters had on 
them a tinge of gold. One can hardly describe the 
morning hour in this country. Like all pilgrims we 
took a bath in the sea which was very refreshing. 
We saw many water fowls swimming about upon the 
smooth sea. If we had been furnished with guns we 
might have had some fine sport. But as we did not 
have the guns the next best thing we could do was to 
throw stones at them. It does not take long for the 
sun to heat the atmosphere in this valley and by 
eight o'clock it was already quite warm, and alto- 
gether I think the ride along the western shore of 
this sea was about as hot a one as we had in the 
entire journey through Palestine. For a long time 
our path lay along the hills, in many instances simply 
bare rocks, and the reflection of the sun against these 
made it very oppressive. We passed very few per- 



294 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



sons by the way. Here and there between the sea 
and the rocks there were small patches of cultivated 
ground. 

After a ride of three miles or more we came to the 
most interesting and perhaps sacred region about the 
entire lake— the plain of Gennesaret. On the south- 
ern margin of this plain is Mejdel, or Magdala. You 
could hardly call it a town, it is simply a collection 
of perhaps a dozen houses, and the most miserable 
and wretched looking we had yet seen. There are a 
few fig-trees, a few small garden patches, and a num- 
ber of dwarf palms about the place. The houses are 
built of mud, have but one room which is occupied 
by man and beast, the place occupied by the animals 
being perhaps a foot lower than where the family 
abides. The roofs of the houses are flat, and on one 
of them I noticed a booth or protection of reeds. The 
people were miserable looking, dirty and almost 
naked. This is said to have been the home of Mary 
out of whom were cast seven devils. The place looks 
very much as though it might be the home of evil 
spirits. 

J Back of Magdala there is a depression known as 
the "Valley of Pigeons." There are many cages 
here occupied by pigeons, but formerly the home of 
robbers. Josephus gives a graphic description of the 
capture and destruction of these robbers by Herod. 
He had driven them to these cliffs where he was well 
nigh defeated. But the insurgents disappeared in the 
caves in the almost perpendicular wall. , They could 
not be reached from below, so he had large cages 
made, filled them with soldiers, and having attached 
chains to them let them down the side of the cliff. 
The soldiers had spears and staffs with hooks to them. 



DESOLATION ON THE PLAIN. 



295 



Such as could not be speared were caught with the 
hooks, dragged out and dropped on the rocks below 
where they found their death. Fire was also thrown 
into the caves, and rather than suffocate many threw 
themselves into the terrible abyss below. 

What a mighty change has been wrought on this 
plain of Gennesaret. Once one of the most fertile 
spots on the globe, covered with villages and thickly 
populated, now deserted, and overrun with tall weeds- 
and tropical undergrowth, the home of the jackal,, 
the lizzard and various forms of animal life. It 
seems strange this miserable Magdala and Tiberias- 
should be the only inhabited places on the lake, when 
at one time there were no less than nine flourishing 
cities on these shores. But to-day what desolation! 
How beautiful this plain must have appeared when 
it stretched away as a green carpet from the shores. 
A number of streams come down through it into the 
lake, and the whole plain could once more be made 
as fertile as in the day when the Savior of men wan- 
dered about over it seeking to do good to the people. 
There are some who locate the parable of the sower 
on this plain. 

The plain extends along the shore for a distance of 
three or four miles, and not much more than a mile 
inland where it meets the cliffs. Josephus has given 
us a glowing description of the fertility of this region. 
'"Such is the richness of the soil, that every kind of 
plant grows in it, and all kinds are, therefore, culti- 
vated by the husbandman. Walnut trees, which 
need coolness, grow in rich luxuriance along side 
the palm, which flourishes only in hot places, and 
near these are figs and olives, which call for a more 
temperate air. There is, as it were, an ambitious 



296 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



effort of nature to gather to one spot whatever is 
elsewhere opposed, and the very seasons appear as if 
they were in a generous rivalry, each claiming the 
district for its own ; for it not only has the strange 
virtue of producing fruits of opposite climes, but 
maintains a continual supply of them, the soil yield- 
ing them not once in the year, but at the most vari- 
ous times. Thus the royal fruits, the grape and the 
fig, ripen for ten months of the year continuously, 
while the other kinds ripen beside them all the year 
round." How changed all this now. Where Jesus 
and his disciples once walked, now grow thorns and 
weeds. Along these shores he often taught the mul- 
titude, and almost every foot of ground here has its 
sacred associations. 

Stanley who has given special attention to the sea 
and its surroundings says : "A remarkable feature 
of the lake must always have been the concentration 
of varied life and activity in a basin so closely sur- 
rounded with desert solitudes. The plain of Gennes- 
aret, enjoying its tropical climate, even now presents 
a striking contrast to the bare hills thinly dotted here 
and there with scanty grass, which embrace it. In 
ancient times this near contrast of Life and Death, 
population and solitude, must have been brought to 
its highest pitch. It was those "desert places," thus 
close at hand, on the table lands, or in the ravines of 
the eastern and western ranges which seem to be 
classed under the common name of "the mountain," 
that gave the opportunities of retirement for rest or 
prayer. "Rising up early in the morning while it 
was yet dark," or "passing over to the other side in a 
boat," he sought those solitudes, sometimes alone 
sometimes with his disciples." 



INSECT LIFE. 



297 



On account of the heat and moisture the shores of 
Galilee are infested with a variety of troublesome 
insect life. Centipedes and scorpions and the festive 
mosquito are the most common. The bite of the cen- 
tipede is said to be very painful, and so is that of the 




BUTTERFLIES OF THE HOLY LAND. 



scorpion. Of the latter there are a number of varie- 
ties such as the black, red, white, yellow, &c. The 
black is said to be the most vicious of them. Their 
bite, though poisonous is not always fatal. Still one 
is not much inclined to thrust his hand into the 

20 



298 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



sting of the beast just merely to try it. The most 
troublesome of all the insects in this region is the 
mosquito. They are not only large and numerous 
but unusually active. At all hours of the night we 
could hear them sing as they were in search of their 
victims. Fleas are also numerous, and are as treach- 
erous here as elsewhere in the world. You are not 
aware of their whereabouts until you feel them prick- 
ing your skin. You search for them in vain. After 
having worried you they hide away and wait for the 
next batch of pilgrims whom they attack as merciless- 
ly as they did you. The flea is not by any means a 
modern pest. When David was persecuted by Saul 
he said to him, "After whom is the King of Israel 
come out ? After whom dost thou pursue ? After a 
dead dog, after a flea." By which he, no doubt, 
meant that it was as much beneath his dignity to per- 
secute him as to seek a dead dog, or pursue a flea. 

The butterflies of the Holy Land are perhaps not so 
varied in their colors, or so beautiful as those of our 
own land, and yet I saw some fine specimens flitting 
about the bushes on the shores of Galilee. 

About noon we reach Khan Minyeh, at the north- 
western end of the lake, and the tents were pitched 
near the "fountain of the fig tree" at the foot of a 
bold cliff. 

Yery naturally one of the first questions one asks 
is, Is this really the site of Capernaum? It is so held 
by some, but not a trace of the city has been found. 
Others locate it at Tell Hum on the northeastern side 
of the lake. But with all the research and discussion 
it has not yet been definitely settled where Caper- 
naum stood. The New Testament does not throw 
much light on the subject, and yet I would gather 



WHERE WAS CAPERNAUM? 



299 



from what is written that it was on the west side of 
the sea, and at the northern end. Only a few things 
are certain. It was a city of Galilee, it was on the 
lake, it had a synagogue, and upon it and Chorazin 
and Bethsaida the Savior pronounced the woes re- 
corded. So great an authority as Dr. Robinson thinks 
that Khan Minyeh is the site of Capernaum, with him 
are McGregor and Foster, and some members of the 
Exploration Society. On the other hand such men 
as Thomson and Wilson and Stanley and Delitsch 
and Schaff are in favor of Tell Hum as the site. 




SEA OF GALILEE FROM THE NORTH. 

It might be of interest to note some of the points in 
favor of either of the two .sites. Khan Minyeh is near 
the sea-shore while Tell Hum is not. It is in the land 
of Gennesaret, and the gospel seems to favor that as 
the site of Capernaum. Again there probably was a 
.custom house at Capernaum, and Khan Minyeh would 
certainly be the place, being on the great highway or 
caravan route from Damascus to Egypt. The argu- 



300 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



ments in favor of the site at Tell Hum are, the large 
ruins which exist there to-day. There are here the 
ruins of what was supposed to have been the syn- 
agogue erected by the Centurion. Bat the figures on 
what is thought to have been the door of this building 
point to a later date. The name also indicates that 
was the place, for Capernaum means the "village of 
Nahum," and Tell Hum means the mound or ruins of 
Hum, or Nahum. It may be possible that the sites 
will never be identified. When I recall the awful 
woe pronounced against the three cities which must 
have been in close proximity to each other, I am not 
so much astonished that the places are not known. 
"Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Beth- 
saida ! for if the mighty works which were done in 
you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would 
have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But 
I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre 
and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And 
thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, 
ishalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty 
works which have been done in thee, had been done 
in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." 
Wherever the site of Capernaum was it seems to have 
been known in the fourth or fifth century, and a 
•church was built on it; but it was again lost sight of. 
Where once was life, and wealth and pride, there are 
now but moldering heaps of dust. 

Somewhere on the eastern shore is the "desert 
place" where Jesus fed the multitude. This may 
have been on the table-lands, or on the plain at the 
mouth of the Jordan. 

Gadara was on the other side of the lake from 
where we were encamped. It was at this place where 



302 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Jesus met the demoniac among the tombs, and some 
where in this district was the cliff down which the 
herd of swine ran into the sea. There are many rock 
tombs in the vicinity of Gadara. But as Gadara is 
some distance from the shore, we must look for the 
scene of the destruction of the swine on a steep slope 
nearer the lake. This was probably at Khersa oppo- 
site Tiberias. 

While we were encamped at Khan Minyeh, we had 
an illustration of the fact that it was on the highway 
from Damascus to Jerusalem. A great train of cam- 
els passed leisurely along in single tile. There were 
not far from a hundred and seventy-five of them. 
They were probably on their way to Egypt to bring 
back the produce to that land of the north. What an 
ungainly animal the camel is at any rate. The home- 
liest of all four-footed beasts, yet he seems to be the 
most independent. What distant ages lie points to. 
We hear the tinkling of his bells as he bore Rebekah, 
the daughter of Bethuel, to be Isaac's bride. Farther 
back we see him coming from Chaldea bringing 
Abraham to the land which should belong to his de- 
scendants. Long before the pyramids were built or 
Memnon made music on the desert the camel formed 
one of the chief figures in those far off days. 

Charles Dudley Warner has given a faithful de- 
scription of this ancient burden bearer. 

u No human royal family dare be uglier than the 
camel. He is a mass of bones, faded tufts, humps, 
lumps, splay -joints, and callosites. His tail is a ridic- 
ulous wisp, and a failure as an ornament or fly-brush. 
His feet are simply big sponges. For skin covering- 
he has patches of old buffalo robes, faded and with 
the hair worn off. His voice is more disagreeable 



A RETROSPECT. 



303 



than his appearance. With a reputation for patience, 
he is snappish and vindictive. His endurance is 
overrated ; that is to say, he dies like a sheep if he is 
not well fed. His gait racks muscles like the ague. 
And yet this ungainly creature carries his head in the 
air and regards the world out of his great brown eyes 
with disdain. The very poise of his head says: 'I 
have come out of the dim past; the deluge did not 
touch me; I helped Shofoo build the great pyramid; 
I knew Egypt when it hadn't an obelisk nor a tem- 
ple. There are three of us; the date-palm, the pyr- 
amid and myself: Everything else is modern. Go to! ' " 
At Khan Minyeh, I climbed the hill above the 
fountain to take one more look at the wonderful 
scenes through which we had passed. The sun was 
almost down, and already shadows of the coming 
night were visible. I was alone upon the cliff. A 
wide view was before me, far in the distance the ruin- 
ed wall of Tiberias was visible, and opposite the steep 
declivity which marks the country of the Gadarenes. 
Somewhere over there is the coast which was once 
inhabited by men who prayed their God and ours "to 
depart out of their coasts." In imagination I saw the 
sea stirred to its depths by the fierce wind storm and 
the vessel toiling in the waves. A voice breaks out 
above the noise of sea and wind, and then all is quiet, 
the winds subside, the waves have ceased their angry 
tumbling. Here is the same lake still, these are the 
grey hills about it as in the days of Christ. Yonder 
the towering peak of Safed rises above the hills, and 
northward the snowy head of Hermon looks coldly 
upon this scene as of old. The green slopes of Gen- 
nesaret, the miserable dwellings of Magdala are there 
to-day, but far different from what they were when 



304 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



he was there who made this whole region famous by 
his words and works. What a solemn reality these 
scenes threw over the miracles and life of Jesus. 
Everything seems to have a strange and unusual in- 
terest. The same sun shines upon these waters as 
they laugh upon their pebbly beach, the same stars 
are mirrored on this glassy surface, and the same 
moon flings over this sea and these surrounding hills 
its mantle of uncertain light. From my perch on the 
cliff I saw the lake and region again a scene of life, 
fisherman casting their nets, stately Roman barges 
hovering about Tiberias, long trains of camels march- 
ing to Egypt laden with the commerce of the East, 
the sower casting his seed, and the reaper bringing 
home his sheaves with rejoicing. Amid these scenes 
I see Jesus walking among men trying to do them 
good, but they rejected him and the woe has come. 
What a change. But night is coming. The jackals 
are crying, the dew is falling and I must away to my 
tent. But never shall I forget my meditation on the 
rock above the "Fountain of the fig tree." 

M'Cheyne has thrown this region into the follow- 
ing beautiful lines : 

How pleasant to me thy deep blue wave, 

O Sea of Galilee ! 
For the glorious one who came to save 

Hath often stood by thee. 

Fair are the lakes in the land I love, 

Where pine and heather grow, 
But thou hast loveliness above 

What nature can bestow. 

It is not that the wild gazelle 

Comes down to drink thy tide, 
But he that was pierced to save from hell 

Oft wandered by thy side. 

Graceful around thee the mountains meet 
Thou calm reposing sea ; 



THE SAVIOR'S CITY. 



305 



But ah ! far more, the beautiful feet 
Of Jesus walked o'er thee. 

Those days are past— Bethsaida, where ? 

Chorazin, where art thou ! 
His tent the wild Arab pitches there, 

The wild reed shades thy brow. 

Tell me, ye mouldering fragments, tell, 

Was the Savior's city here ? 
Lifted to heaven, has it sunk to hell, 

With none to shed a tear ! 

O Savior ! gone to God's right hand, 

Yet the same Savior still, 
Graved on thy heart is this lovely strand, 

And every fragrant hill. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



FROM GALILEE TO HERMON. 



NORTHWARD. — THE DEVIL'S ELBOW. — KHAN OF JOSEPH^ 
WELL. — OLD MILL. — WATERS OF MEROM. — STORKS. — 
ARAB VILLAGES.— WEDDING FESTIVITIES. — 
WEDDING CUSTOMS.— DAN— BANIAS. 

TTTE broke camp early in the morning to continue 



our journey northward. We had a hard day's 



ride before us, not that the distance we were 
to travel was so great, but because the road was so 
rough. We passed up on to a high bluff overlooking 
the sea, and soon Ave would have our last view of 
Galilee. In less than half an hour we came upon the 
roughest road we had in all our pilgrimage. It is 
called the "Devil's Elbow." I do not know whether 
that gentleman had anything to do with the road or 
not, but this I am convinced of, that it is a hard 
road to travel. It was nothing more than a path of 
jagged rocks, the sharp edges upward, and it was 
with the greatest of difficulty that the horses could 
pick their way through. And yet this was at one 
time as it is even to-day the great caravan route 
between Damascus and Egypt. Here and there we 
pass some of the natives watching a few sheep or 
goats. I have no doubt before other routes were 
opened, and when Jerusalem was yet in its glory, 
this way was constantly thronged with caravans car- 
rying back and forth the produce of the east. 




AN OLD MILL. 



307 



In an hour after leaving Galilee, we come to an 
old Khan, called the "Khan of Joseph's Well." This 
is the Mohammedan Dothan. They believe Joseph 
was cast into a cistern here by his brethren. The 
cistern is here, which is considered evidence sufficient 
to establish the fact, but whether Joseph and his 
brethren were ever near it is another question. We 
rode into the Khan, but were glad to get out again as 
it was a filthy place. There were a few wretched 
looking people inside, and it was a difficult matter 
to decide which part was occupied by the animals 
and which by human beings. 

At noon we took lunch at the foot of a high moun- 
tain from under which runs a strong stream of water, 
flowing first into a sort of reservoir and then turns 
the wheel of an old mill. This was quite a curiosity 
for this region. It was a very simple affair and yet 
did its work well. The flour was rather coarse, and 
yet may have been all the better for that. We 
made a close inspection of the mill, watched it crush 
the grain that was poured into the rude hopper, and 
in imagination lived over again other days as we 
heard the rush of the water as it came out from 
under the old building. I have fragrant memories 
of an old water mill that made music to my ears 
far back in the years that are gone. It was a favor- 
ite place, and many a half holiday, and some half 
days that were not holidays were spent there. We 
always tried to brush off the flour frorn our clothes, 
but did not usually succeed. It told where we had 
been loitering. The old mill here in this strange 
land brought up many pleasant recollections. It was 
like meeting an old friend far from home. 

Here and there we passed trees or shrubs literally 



308 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



covered with bits of gaily colored cloth. Upon 
inquiring what it meant, I was informed the shreds of 
cloth were hung there as a sort of votive offering by 
the Mohammedans. We saw these frequently as we 
passed up and down the land. Our dragoman who 
professed to be well acquainted with the country 
proposed to take us to our noon resting place by a 
shorter and easier route, but he went a little beyond 
his knowledge of the country and lost his way. And 
in order to get back again it was necessary to cross 
large fields of growing wheat. There were no roads, 
not even paths. I remonstrated with him, told him 
that in my country s^uch an act would lead to his 
arrest, and the imposition of a fine. He merely 
laughed and said the people there looked upon it as 
a good omen if horsemen rode through their wheat. 
In confirmation of what he said he pointed to a num- 
ber of Arabs near by who uttered not a word of 
complaint. 

That evening our tents were pitched by the waters 
of Merom. The plain in which this lake lies is one of 
the most pleasant in the land. The lake which is 
the uppermost in the valley of the Jordan is little 
more than two miles w T ide and four in length. The 
marshy land about it covers almost more space than 
the water itself. Here 3^011 see immense papyrus 
reeds, and other acquatic plants, the home of innum- 
erable water-fowl. Here, too, are to be found many 
wild swine and beasts which find pleasant 
hiding places. It is said that Herod the Great used 
to make excursions to this region for the purpose of 
hunting the game which was so abundant there at 
that time, and that it was his delight to show his 
strength and skill in hurling the spear at the wild 



THE GREAT MARSH. 



309 



animals. None of his followers could compete with 
him in this exercise. The present name of the lake 
is Huleh, in old times it was named Merom. The 
Jordan, which has its source some distance above 
this flows through it. The best part of the plain is 
said to be upon the eastern side, and there great 
crops of wheat are raised by the Arabs. Great herds 
of cattle also find abundant pasture over the entire 
plain. 

Much of this marshy land about the lake might be 
reclaimed by ditching, but the Arabs do not have 
enough ambition for that. Dr. Thomson spent 
some time about these waters and made several 
attempts to penetrate the marsh, but without success. 
He says : "I once asked an Arab if I could not pen- 
etrate through it to the lake. Looking at me keenly 
to see if I were not in joke, he slowly raised both 
hands to his head, and swore by 'the great — the 
Almighty,' that not even a wild boar could get 
through. And he spoke the truth. It is an utterly 
impassable slough, worse than Bunyan ever dreamed 
of." 

Along these marshes, but on dry land there are 
many Arab huts, or rather tents some of them are 
covered with black cloth, and some with a matting 
of reeds. I could not understand why it is that these 
Bedouins preferred the margin of these marshes to 
the higher ground not more than a quarter of a mile 
distant, as their residence. But they are a strange 
people at any rate, and would not be willing to live 
where more civilized people make their homes. 
Place a good substantial stone house by the side of 
the Bedouin's rude tent, and tell him to take his 
choice, and he will surely choose the tent. It has 



310 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



always been the custom of his race to dwell in tents 
and he would not rest easy in a house of stone. 

Geikie goes into ecstacy over this region as. may be 
inferred from the following: "There could hardly 
be a more beautiful place than the Lake of Merom, 
or El-Huleh. The rich plains, here brown with tilth, 
there bright with crops, yonder stretching out in 
succulent pastures dotted with flocks; the blue lake 
sleeping beneath the hills, long reed-beds bending 
their feathery tops in the soft air, silver streams net- 
ting the landscape; the waters full of water-fowl, 
the trees vocal with birds, the flowers humming w T ith 
bees ; the native hamlet, the Arab camp, the herds- 
man afield, the ploughs, drawn by ox or ass, or camel, 
slowly moving over the lea; the flat-headed black 
buffalo delighting himself in the pools and the soft 
marshy coolness; the whole canopied by a sky of 
crystal clearness and infinite height, — make up a 
landscape of exceeding beauty." There is much 
truth in this description, and yet I believe if Dr. 
Geikie had remained in this region long enough to 
have had his system filled with malaria the descrip- 
tion might not have been quite so vivid. I must con- 
fess one night was sufficient for me. What special 
beauty one can see in a sheet of water surrounded 
by a mile or two of marsh land is more than I can 
say. But it is just as one looks at these things. 
Here one can see hundreds of pelicans. They are a 
sober looking bird, and as Thomson, who had one 
captured, said : "It gave one the blues to look at it." 
David makes use of this bird to express solitude. 

We saw also great numbers of stork both on the 
plain of Esdraelon, as well as here on the plain of 
Huleh. They looked rather strange wading through 



GREAT NUMBER OF STORKS. 



311 



the tall grass. They allowed us to come quite close 
to them. The stork feeds on insects, frogs and offal y 
and was reckoned among unclean birds. It is nearly 
four feet high and is well adapted for wading in 
water and marshy places. In the Holy Land it builds 
its nest on trees, but in Europe on the roofs of the 
houses. The ancients seem to have believed that 
there was a peculiar affection of the offspring for 
the parent bird, that they recognized them and cared 
for them while they lived. Tristram in speaking of 
the bird says : "The beauty and power of the stork's 
wings are seized on by Zechariah : *The wind was in 
their wings, for they had wings like the wing of a 
stork', 5: 9. The black pinions of the stork, sudden- 
ly expanded from their white body, have a striking 
effect, having a spread of nearly seven feet, and the 
bird on the wing, showing its long bright red bill and 
steering itself by its long red legs, stretched out 
far behind its tail, is a noble sight. The stork has no 
organs of voice, and the only sound it emits is caused 
by the sharp and rapid snapping of its bill, like the 
rattle of castanets." There is a common opinion 
among the Moslems that the stork prefers their com- 
pany over that of Christians. This may be true, not 
that the stork is able to distinguish the followers of 
the Koran from the followers of the Gospel, but 
because of the filth which abounds in Moslem com- 
munities, and which the stork delights in. 

I saw along the marshes on this plain, the pretty, 
blue, white and yellow iris. There were also many 
sweet-scented honeysuckles on the hills near by, and 
an abundance of white and red cyclamens. There 
was here also a shrub which had the appearance of 
our American sumach. It was on this plain, too, that 



312 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



we saw the first large oaks since we entered the land. 
There were perhaps a half dozen of them by the way- 
side, the lower branches of which were decorated with 
pieces of cloth, indicating that under these trees were 
special places for prayer. In passing a village of a 
few houses we saw the women at work weaving mats 
out of the reeds gathered from the marshes. At 
another place there were many girls preparing the 
reeds on the grass. 

This plain of Merom has been the scene of many a 
conflict. It was here that Joshua gained a complete 
victory over the Canaanites. He had already con- 
quered all the tribes of the south, and when Jabin, 
King of Hazor heard this he called together all the 
kings of the north, their horses and chariots to make 
one strong effort to drive the Hebrews from the land. 
They pitched their tents by the waters of Merom ; 
"They and all their hosts with them, even as the sand 
is upon the seashore in multitude ; and when all these 
kings were met together, they came and pitched 
together at the waters of Merom, to fight against 
Israel." 

There was an Arab village not far from the camp, 
and we noticed as we rode along that there was a 
great commotion there. We could see a great crowd 
of men. We could also see a banner or two. My 
first impression was that it was a massing of forces 
for war. They seemed to be in line, but we soon 
learned it was a wedding festival. It was quite nat- 
ural that we desired to see at least a portion of the 
ceremony upon one of these happy occasions. At 
first we were fearful that we might be intruders, 
but our dragoman assured us we would be quite wel- 
come. The men and boys were all drawn up in a 



ARAB WEDDING. 



313 



line, and from what we could see the male portion 
of the tribe were having all the sport. A rude ban- 
ner w T as carried by one of them, while the music con- 
sisted of a single piece, a sort of fife made out of 
reeds. The dancing was not very elaborate, a group 
of men holding each other by the hand shuffled back 
and forth, or rather kept up a swinging motion some- 
thing like that of the school-boy when he speaks his 
"piece." We desired to see the bride and groom and 
in order that we might be gratified offered to take 
up a collection, which we did, and the groom was at 
once led forth. A bright, noble looking young Arab, 
and by the way quite well dressed. We were then 
taken to the village where the women were congre- 
gated. Here the bride's mother led forth the daugh- 
ter, a bashful looking damsel, perhaps fifteen or six- 
teen years of age. She, too, was well dressed. Her 
hair having been oiled so that it seemed to drop off 
from her tresses which hung down over her shoulders. 
The chiefs of the tribe then gave us an exhibition of 
their horsemanship. The riding was simply wonder- 
ful, their horses going almost like the wind. We 
left them in the midst of their festivities, and all 
night long we could hear the merry shouts of the 
revelers. The merry making we were told, is kept 
up for several weeks. 

The marriage customs are much the same to-day 
as they were in the time of Christ. Moses did not 
give any specific directions as to the ceremonies to 
be observed, but from the Talmud we can gain a 
pretty accurate knowledge of the usages which 
obtained on such occasions. There seems to have 
been three distinct stages, the promise, the betrothal 
and the marriage. The promise did not have any- 

21 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. 



315 



thing definite in it. It was perhaps simply an 
engagement which might be broken off before the 
betrothal. The betrothal took place after the engage- 
ment. This was to continue a year before marriage, 
and was looked upon as sacred as marriage itself. In 
the Mishna we find one of the Rabbis giving advice 
as to the choice of a wife, which might be followed 
with profit by many to-day : "There is no feast in 
Israel like that of the 15th of Ab and of Oippus. On 
these two days the young girls in Jerusalem, dressed 
in their white robes newly washed, go out to dance 
in the vineyards. They lend each other these dresses, 
so that none may be put to shame by not having a 
clean one. And what do they talk about ? Young 
man, look that thou choose well. Be not ensnared 
by beauty, but rather consider what the family is. 
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but the woman 
that feareth the Lord she shall be praised." It was 
customary then to pay something for the wife, and 
this same usage exists among the Arabs of to-day. 
If the Arab suitor be not rich he will, like Jacob of 
old, offer to serve a number of years for his wife. He 
may also offer a mare or a colt, or if he be wealthy 
he may offer a dozen cows or six camel or fifty sheep. 
It seems the children have nothing to do in arrang- 
ing for their marriage. That is all done by the par- 
ents. When the girls have arrived at the proper age 
for marriage, which is often at thirteen, the mother 
looks about for a husband for her. When one is 
found, all arrangements are made by the friends. In 
some places in the east the wedding ceremonies are 
still observed during the night. It seems, too, that 
the guests are first informed that they will be invited, 
and then after this comes the formal invitation. 



316 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



In the morning we passed around the northern end 
of the marsh, and found here much verdure, and 
more abundant vegetation. It was quite marshy, too, 
and at times our horses found it difficult to get 
through. We crossed the Jordan on an old bridge 
which was undoubtedly built by the Romans, for 
they were not only great road builders, but bridge 
builders also. The buttresses are still in a good con- 
dition but of the arch nothing but a single row of 
stones remain. The Jordan is narrow here, and yet 
goes by with a rush and roar. This entire region is 
fertile and such an abundance of water which drains 
down from the great Lebanon chain is really astonish- 
ing. Some portions of the land are covered with 
bowlders, and so thickly, that one can almost imagine 
some vast giant standing on the adjacent hills sowed 
them broadcast over these plains. Here and there 
they have been gathered into immense piles, or 
thrown into rows and the patches of ground between 
cultivated. At noon we lunched under the spread- 
ing branches of two huge oak trees on the site of 
ancient Dan. Here is one of the sources of the 
Jordan. It bursts out of the earth almost a full 
grown river. In my opinion this source of the Jordan 
is larger than that of Hasbaney, or the one at Banias. 
The stream is almost hidden by oleanders, figs and 
brambles. Here is the mound known as Tell-el- 
Kadi, the "Mound of the Judge." This was undoubt- 
edly the site of the city and citadel of Dan, and the 
northern boundary of the Holy Land, as Beersheba 
was the limit of the southern. Hence the expression 
"from Dan to Beersheba." This entire region is very 
fertile, confirming the Bible account of it : "A place 
where there is no want of anything that is in the earth." 



RESCUE OF LOT. 



317 



It was in this vicinity that Abraham met and 
defeated Chedorlaomer and his followers and rescued 
Lot and his family who had been taken prisoners. 
The patriarch did not have much of an army, but 
when he heard of the capture of Lot, he at once called 
together his entire band of faithful servants, armed 
them and began pursuit. The invaders had already 
a start of several days and had reached the vicinity 
of Laish, afterwards named Dan. Here Chedorlaomer 
and his army were encamped. They felt quite secure 
so far from their enemies and did not provide against 
a surprise. But "Abraham was not slow, for accord- 
ing to Josephus on the fifth night after beginning his 
pursuit, he came upon the invaders. It was not his 
intention to openly attack so large an army. He 
simply wanted to rescue Lot and his family, rather 
than to gain renown as a warrior. So "he divided 
himself against them by night, he and his servants." 
Like Gideon he divided his small band into three 
companies, and made the attack from several quar- 
ters. The stratagem was a success. The Elamites 
roused from their repose in the night thought a great 
army was upon them. The route at once became 
general. They fled in every direction. Abraham 
following until they reached Hobah, a place near 
Damascus which is pointed out to this day as the 
place where Abraham prayed on his return from 
pursuing the eastern kings. Here Jeroboam set up 
the golden calf, fearing that if his people should go to 
the solemn national feasts at Jerusalem they might 
be persuaded to return to their former allegiance. 
So he set up a golden calf at Bethel and one at Dan, 
and commanded his people to worship there. 

Several miles east of Dan lies the village of Banias, 



318 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the ancient Caesarea Philippi. We passed through 
large groves of olive trees on our way thither, as well 
as other trees which grow on the slopes of Hermon. 
Banias lies over a thousand feet above the sea. You 
see here the remains of the ancient city scattered far 
and wide. The inhabitants of the present village dig- 
up the marble slabs and granite pillars and use them 
in the construction of their houses. Our tents were 
pitched just opposite an old cemetery, and from 
where we were a grand view opened up to us on all 
sides. Snowy Hermon before us, and a beautiful 
valley to the side of us. Here at Banias is another 
source of the Jordan. The water comes bubbling out 
of the rocks, one hardly sees where it comes from, 
and yet it forms a great stream which rushes with 
a terrible velocity under a bridge to join the other 
streams to form the Jordan. There was here a sanc- 
tuary to the god Pan. And Herod the Great built a 
temple here, which was beautified by Philip. The 
place was called Cesarea-Philippi, to distinguish it 
from Oesarea on the sea coast. The situation is to 
my mind the most beautiful in all Palestine. There 
is still a grotto at the foot of a steep hill and a niche 
in the wall of the rock. To the left of this there 
are extensive ruins, some mosaic work still cropping 
out above the earth. The soil is mixed with broken 
bits of pottery. I found amid these ruins a bit of 
pottery covered with glass, or a glazing similar to 
glass. Some of the broken pieces were beautifully 
colored. I have no doubt that extensive excavations 
here would bring to light some rare things. The 
remains of the old city indicate that it was a most 
beautiful place. Large columns of marble and 
granite are still lying about in great profusion, and 



SCENE OF TRAXSFIG URA TION. 



319 



an ancient gate- way still remains. There is a story 
that the woman cured of an issue of blood lived here. 
Eusebius says : "At the gate of her house, on an 
elevated stone, stands a brazen image of a woman 
on her knees, with her hands stretched out before 
her, like one entreating. Opposite this is another 
image of a man, erect, of the same material, decent- 
ly clad in a mantle, and stretching out his hand to 
the woman. This, they say, is a statue of Christ, and 
it has remained even to our times, so that I myself 
saw it when I was in the city." 

It is not probable that Jesus ever journeyed farther 
north than Cesarea Fhilippi, in fact Ave have no 
information that he ever entered the city, but simply 
the statement that he came into the parts of Cesarea 
Phiiippi. There seems to be a general opinion that 
somewhere in this vicinity Peter made that confes- 
sion acknowledging that he was " the Christ, the Son 
of the living God." It is also universally admitted 
that the transfiguration took place somewhere near 
Banias, and not on the traditional Mount Tabor. 
But it is impossible to tell which of these hills was so 
highly honored as to witness that glorious scene. 
Stanley says: "And here one can not but ask what 
was the 'high mountain' on which, six days from 
that time, whilst still in this region, he 'was trans- 
figured' before his three disciples? It is impossible 
to look up from the plain to the towering peaks of 
Hermon, almost the only mountain which deserves 
the name in Palestine, and one of whose ancient 
titles was derived from this circumstance, and not be 
struck with its appropriateness with the scene. The 
fact of its rising high above all the other hills of 
Palestine, and of its setting the last limit to the wan- 



320 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



derings of him who was sent only to the lost sheep of 
the house of Israel, falls in with the supposition 
which the words inevitably force upon us. The 
sacredness of Hermon in the eyes of the surrounding 
tribes may well have fitted it for the purpose, even if 
it did not give it the name, of ' the Holy Mountain.' 
High upon its southern slopes there must be many a 
point where the disciples could be taken 'apart by 
themselves.' " 

It was truly a pleasant day we spent here under 
the snowy head of Hermon, and one long to be 
remembered, because of the beauty of the scene and 
the historic events connected with this region. 



CHAPTER XXV. 



CROSSING THE LEBANON MOUNTAINS. 



ASCENDING THE HILLS. — VILLAGES OF THE DRUSES. — 
HERMON. — RUINS OF AN OLD CASTLE. — IN THE 
CLOUDS. — THE DESCENT. — KEFR HO WAR. 

I COULD have spent many days in this wondrous- 
ly beautiful region, but the order was, we must 
move on or the fortnightly boat at Bey rout, would 
be gone, and we would then be compelled to tarry at 
that place for two weeks for the next steamer. We 
had a long day's ride before us, and by no means an 
easy one. To those accustomed to climbing mount- 
ains this ride might have been sport, but I found it 
hard work. We were on horseback early in the 
morning, and in the valley it was warm and pleasant, 
and everything promised a delightful journey over 
the mountains. We rode through the village and out 
of the ancient gateway and began at once the ascent 
of the hills. On the slopes there are many olive 
groves, and taken altogether the prospect is very 
pleasing. But what are the villages which we see at 
various points far up the hills, and by whom inhabi- 
ted? What fortunate people these, I thought, 
dwelling thus upon these green slopes, and having 
before them so beautiful a view as that which extends 
many miles toward the west and south. From some 
points here it is possible to see down to Galilee, while 
the waters of Merom seem to lie at your feet. 



322 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The dragoman informed us that those were the vil- 
lages of the Druses, a religious sect, quite numerous, 
and who have made their home on the southern 
part of the Lebanon range, including also the 
north of Mount Lebanon. They are a peculiar peo- 
ple, and number at the present time, it is estimated 
nearly 80,000. They are also a mysterious race, and 
their origin can hardly be traced to any one nation- 
al^. Cuthites, Mardi, and Mohammedans, have 
been thrown into the crucible, and fused together 
have come out the modern Druse. They speak the 
Arab language, and their government is of the 
Republican type. Their religious views are kept 
secret, yet it is probable that the Pentateuch, the 
Gospels, the Koran, and the Sufi allegories enter 
largely into their faith. They are known among 
themselves as "Confessors of the Unity of God." 
They claim that numerous incarnations of Deity have 
taken place, and that in Hakim he revealed himself 
for the tenth and last time. Hakim disappeared from 
the earth, but will certainly return again, and give 
his followers great power in the world. Some of their 
distinctive doctrines are veracity, especially among 
themselves; mutual protection ; discarding all other 
religions ; confession of Hakim as the one God. 
They are said to be industrious and that the majori- 
ty of them can read and write. That they are indus- 
trious may be inferred from the fact that they have 
made these high valleys of the Lebanon range 
habitable. With immense labor they have carried 
the soil of the valleys up along the hills, covering the 
bare rocks, forming terraces and covering the slopes 
with olive and mulberry trees. They raise some 
wheat, and a little corn, but their chief industry is 



MOUNT HERMON. 



323 



the manufacture of silk. They took a prominent part 
in the massacre of the Lebanon Christians in 1860. 

Mount Hermon, or as it is called, Jebel-esh-Sheikh, 
is the high southern part of An ti-Libanus, rising to an 
elevation of 9000 feet above the Mediterranean. It 
is by far the highest point in all Palestine, and is seen 
a great distance. To the Sidonians it was known as 
Sirion, and to the Amorites as Senir. The name 
Jebel-esh-Sheikh, means "the mountain of the white 
haired old man," from the supposed resemblance to 
the hoary head and beard of an old sheikh. The 
top at times being covered with snow, and extending 
down the ridges. It has been compared with Mount 
Blanc in Europe, but Mount Blanc certainly is more 
imposing than Hermon. It is true the connection of 
the latter with the range of hills detracts somewhat 
from its appearance. Dr. Clark, who visited it in the 
month of July says: "The summit is so lofty that 
the snow entirely covered the upper part of it, not 
lying in patches, but investing all the higher part 
with the perfect white and smooth velvet-like appear- 
ance which snow only exhibits when it is very deep." 
Others who have seen it early in the spring declare 
that snow was visible only in the ravines. It was 
thus I saw Hermon in April as we were crossing the 
ridge, but on the day following the entire head was 
covered with snow. It is said that in winter the 
snow extends down the mountain side for about 5000 
feet, and then as summer advances it creeps up until 
only a little is seen in the clefts of the rocks. 

The usual route does not lie over the high peak, 
but to the south of it and yet the snow seemed so 
near at times that we thought we could almost touch 
it. After we had ascended some distance the road 



324 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



brought us opposite the ruins of the old castle we 
had seen from the valley. These are among the 
most extensive ruins in existence. By whom this 
castle was erected is not known, though the Palestine 
surveyors seem to think it the work of the Crusaders. 
For what purpose it was erected is also unknown. It 
could not have been as a defense for Banias, because 
that was so far off. But the general supposition is 
that it was erected to protect the great caravan route 
extending along that way. There are others, how- 
ever, who are of the opinion that it was the castle of 
Herod. I incline to the view that it was the work of 
the Crusaders. 

These ruins tower at least 1500 feet above Banias, 
and their length from east to west is nearly 1500 feet, 
while their width is 360 feet. From these figures one 
can imagine how formidable looking it must have 
been. It was so, too, not only in appearance, but in 
reality. On two sides there are deep valleys, so that 
from that direction it was inaccessible, while on the 
west there is a deep ditch. The place could be 
approached only from the east, and even here the 
ascent is so steep that it would be difficult to storm 
the place even from that side. Before the days of 
cannon it would have been wellnigh impossible to 
take the place. Though the walls are built of 
immense blocks of stone, yet cannon planted on the 
hills beyond it would soon compel capitulation. 
Thomson is of the opinion that this is the site of Baal- 
Hermon mentioned in J udges 3 : 3, and I. Chron. 5 : 23. 
The area within the walls is four or five acres in extent. 
There are many subterranean vaults and chambers 
underneath, reached by stairways. 

Thomson says of this old castle after speaking of 



THE OLD CASTLE. 



325 



its inaccessible position : "Nor would it have been 
easy to starve the place into surrender if properly 
victualled. There is space sufficient for a strong gar- 
rison, and they might even raise vegetables for their 
table, as the shepherds grow fine crops of tobacco at 
present; and though there is no fountain, their 
immense cisterns would afford an abundant supply of 
good water. The native tradition is, that the dark 
stairway here at the west end, down which we groped 
our way into the vaults beneath, was a subterranean, 
or, rather, submontane path to the great fountain of 
Banias, by which the garrison could obtain both 
water and provision ; but as that is two miles distant, 
and a thousand feet below, the thing is scarcely cred- 
ible. A respectable man of Hasbeiya, however, 
assured me that he once descended it a long distance, 
to where it was blocked up by the falling in of the 
roof. It may be possible the Crusaders found here 
the ruins of a former castle and repaired and enlarged 
it. What an immense amount of labor must have 
been required to carry the material to this elevation, 
and we can imagine how the hills about echoed and 
re-echoed with the European songs and shouts of 
the soldiers of the cross. What wondrous deeds of 
valor were wrought here, what suffering and labor 
were endured within these walls. How thankful we 
should be that we have come to a broader and bet- 
ter day when castles are no longer needed, and I am 
certain the day is not far distant when implements of 
war will lie idle, and when men will wonder that it 
was ever necessary to use them. This old castle was 
certainly a very interesting object here in this deso- 
late region. 

But we must go on up the mount, the way is long 



326 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



and the ascent toilsome. When we left the valley 
the sun was shining and it was warm, but as we 
ascended, it began to get cooler, finally it began to 
mist, then rain, then sleet, and finally the snow flakes 
fell thick and fast about us. It was freezing cold. 
I had left my overcoat to be brought with the bag- 
gage, having only my rubber coat as a protection 
against the cold. I suffered more from cold during 
this mountain ride than on the entire journey. 
Higher and higher we went, skirting precipices, and 
scaling slippery rocks up which I thought the horses 
could surely not go. Here and there on the sides of 
the almost perpendicular cliffs the mountain goats 
were nibbling the short herbage, while the eagles 
circled about the crags, and went screaming across 
the chasms. Higher and still higher we ascended 
coming at last into the clouds. All view was now 
shut off, and we could scarcely see our way. "Keep 
on your way, we soon come above the clouds," cried 
the guide, and true enough in a few moments more 
we emerged from the clouds into the bright and free 
sunshine of heaven. I have often thought since if 
we would only keep on our Christian path in the 
face of troubles we would mount above them as we 
rose up above the clouds which enshrouded Hermon. 

At length we reached the table-land at the summit. 
At this high altitude there were patches of cultivated 
ground, and there to the left against the cliffs and 
just below the snow of the high peak there was a 
small village, the houses built of stone. This also 
was a Druse village. A strange place for habitation 
when there is so much more desirable land on the 
lower slopes. We were soon besieged by a crowd 
of boys and girls who came out to sell petrifactions 



THE SUMMIT OF LEBANON. 



327 



which are found in the rocks, while some had rude 
knives, similar to those we purchased at Nazareth. 
They were persistent, they followed us bare-footed in 
the cold for nearly half a mile, and were most urgent 
in trying to sell us their trinkets. In America those 
boys would make a fortune. How I pitied them. It 
is sad to think that so much brightness and intelli- 
gence should be wasted here on the summit of the 
Lebanon range. 

There are many evidences of volcanic action on 
these great hills. The lava thrown up from the 
depths below assumed all manner of fantastic shapes, 
is curled and twisted as though some demon had 
endeavored to show hate. The earth is strewn with 
black basalt bowlders so that it is almost impossible 
to pick your way through them. The peasants have 
picked them into heaps and cultivate the small 
patches of soil between. I saw here some dwarf 
tulips in bloom. They looked cold and stunted. The 
warm sun called them out of the earth, but did not 
furnish enough heat to bring them to perfection. 
They looked strangely out of place up there, and yet 
it was refreshing to see a flower amid the devastation. 

We begin to descend now on the eastern side of 
Lebanon. The descent seems as gradual as the 
ascent. On this side the rocks seem to be harder, 
and I saw here the most beautifully varied flint I had 
ever seen. Soon we pass by quite a village, and cross 
a rushing mountain torrent, and at noon we lunch on 
the sunny side of a huge rock in a valley. All the 
while the white peak is above us, and unconsciously 
we look that way. The route by which we had come 
has undoubtedly been in use from the earliest ages, 
and very likely Chedorlaomer, when pursued by 



328 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Abraham retreated in disorderly and rapid manner 
over this pass, and who knows but what Paul in his 
journey to Damascus went over this same pathway. 

While we were at lunch the children of the neigh- 
boring village came out in great numbers to look at 
us. What wretched looking children they were, and 
yet they seemed bright and happy, chattering away 
and laughing as gaily as though they were the most 
fortunate children in the world. They eagerly picked 
up all the scraps of food they could find, and seemed 
very thankful when we shared our lunch with them. 
The dress of the Syrians differs some from the people 
of Palestine. In the latter country the principal 
covering is the gabardine, or large cloak with a hood. 
They also wear a garment called the u abbas," while 
in Syria they wear a short jacket and great baggy 
trousers. 

From the place of our noonday meal we kept 
descending until towards evening we arrived at Kefr 
Ho war, a little hamlet with an old Khan. As our 
tents had not yet arrived, and it was cold and windy 
we sought shelter in the Khan, but it was not a very 
desirable place, being full of fleas, and yet the wind 
was so biting that we were glad even for this shelter. 
In the meantime we had opportunity to see the won- 
ders of the place which consist of an old Greek 
inscription which has been built into an old barnlike 
structure, and which the people say is very ancient. 
Our knowledge of Greek did not assist us in deciph- 
ering the inscription. The other wonder is nothing 
less than the tomb of Mmrod, the mighty hunter. 
This is in a field near by, though there is nothing to 
indicate that there is a tomb there except a few pieces 
of broken pillars. At length the tents arrived, and 



A BRIGHT MORNING. 



329 



after supper we retired in order to get warm. It 
required all the extra clothing and wraps we had to 
make us comfortable. The jackals cried their dismal 
cry on the hills, and the dogs howled in the village, 
and between the two we were lulled to sleep. 

It was colder in the morning, but the sky was clear. 
The eastern horizon was bright with the gold of the 
coming sun. We looked toward Hermon, and behold 
the entire peak was covered with snow as with a hood. 

There were no ridges and ravines, or bare spots, 
but one sheet of the white flakes. A storm must 
have raged about the summit in the night and left as 
its benediction this covering of snow. It was a grand 
and impressive sight. Again and yet again we turn- 
ed to look at the wonderful scene. 



22 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



DAMASCUS. 



RIDE TO. — SITE OF PAUI/S CONVERSION.— ANTIQUITY OF 
THE CITY. — SIGHT SEEING. — BAZARS. — THE GREAT 
MOSQUE. — VIEW OF CITY FROM MINARET. — 
FAREWELL TO DAMASCUS. 

fT>HEKE is not much of interest between Kefr 



Howar and Damascus. There seems to be a 



continuous descent, but the distance is so great 
and the descent so gradual that it is barely percepti- 
ble. There are but few villages, and the plain is 
almost barren, yet the soil looks rich. I have no 
doubt with proper cultivation it could * be made to 
bear abundant crops. We were anxious to reach 
Damascus, and urged our horses to unusual speed. 
At length we were pointed to the city far away on the 
plains. From that distance it seemed more like a 
grove, but as we kept on our way we began to dis- 
tinguish domes and minarets which are so numerous. 
I did not learn the exact distance from Kefr Howar 
to Damascus, but the way seemed exceedingly long 
to me and I thought we would never reach the city. 
The nearer we got the more fertile the country seem- 
ed to be. The villages were embosomed in walnut 
groves, while little streams made everything look 
fresh and green. Though we see the minarets of the 
city very distinctly, yet it is quite a distance, for the 
air is clear and deceiving. 




SITE OF SAUL'S CONVERSION. 



331 



As we proceed there are unmistakable evidences 
that we are approaching a large city. The roadway 
is wider, and there are signs of it being used more 
extensively. At length we come to where two roads 
seem to meet, and this we are told is the traditional 
spot where the light from heaven, outshining even 
the noonday glory of the sun, blinded Saul of Tarsus, 
so that he fell to the ground, hearing a voice saying 
"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Whether 
this is the exact spot will never be determined, but 
that it was on that side of the city is very probable, 
being on the direct road from Jerusalem. Mezzeh, a 
small village outside is really a suburb of Damascus. 
From here on, there are houses and gardens until you 
are in Damascus proper. How glad I was to get 
from the barren plains into this beautiful region. I 
could very well see how the sun scorched traveler 
coming over the bleak hills from the north or the 
barren plains from the west would imagine he was 
going into a paradise. The city was called by the 
Arabs, "The eye of the East" and "The pearl of the 
desert." Yet I am certain one would have a 
much better impression of Damascus if he had seen 
only the exterior, or had a view of it from the neigh- 
boring hills. 

Addison has given a glowing description of it. He 
saw it first from the Lebanon mountains. "One of 
the most magnificent prospects in the world burst 
upon my sight ; like* the first view of Constantinople, 
it is unique. We were looking down from an eleva- 
tion a thousand feet upon a vast plain, bordered in 
the distance by blue mountains, and occupied by a 
rich, luxuriant forest of the walnut, the fig, the pom- 
egranate, the plum, the apricot, the citron, the locust, 



332 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the pear,' and the apple, forming a waving grove of 
more than fifty miles in circuit ; possessing a vast 
variety of tint, a peculiar density and luxuriance of 
foliage, and a wildly picturesque form, from the 
branches of the loftiest trees throwing themselves up 
above a rich underwood of pomegranates, citrons and 
oranges, with their yellow, green and brown leaves ; 
and then conceive our sensations, to see rising in the 
distance, above this vast superficies of rich luxuriant 
foliage, the swelling leaden domes, the gilded cres- 
cents, and the marble minarets of Damascus, while 
in the center of all, winding towards the city, ran the 
main stream of the river Barada. As we descended 
here and there the openings in the trees displayed 
little patches of green verdure or a glimpse of richly 
cultivated gardens ; the whole of the rich tract was 
surrounded by a mud wall, beyond which all was arid 
and desert." Julian describes it as "the great and 
sacred Damascus, surpassing every city both in the 
beauty of its temples and the magnitude of its shrines, 
as well as the timeliness of its seasons, the limpidness 
of its fountains, the volume of its waters, and the 
richness of its soil." 

Damascus is not only one of the most oriental cities 
of the world but also one of the oldest, if not the 
oldest large and flourishing city in existence. There 
is a tradition that it existed before the flood. There 
is one thing certain, if it were not for the abundance 
of water which comes down through the mountains, 
Damascus would not exist at all, for the plain would 
be a barren waste. El-Khudr, a Moslem wanderer 
relates the following legendary tale in regard to the 
origin of the city. "Once I passed by and saw the 
site of this city^all covered by the sea, wherein was 



ANTIQUITY OF DAMASCUS. 



333 



an abundance of water collected. After this I was 
absent five hundred years, and, then returning, 
beheld a city commenced therein, where many were 
walking about." 

That the city is very ancient may be inferred from 
the fact that it is early mentioned in the Bible. 
Josephus who took for his authority one Mcolaus, 
says that after leaving Haran, Abram came with his 
followers to Damascus, and that he reigned there as 
king, but was finally compelled to depart into 
Canaan. Some miles from the city there is a village 
called even at the present time, Abram's Dwelling. 
Justin, whose information was not the most perfect 
writes : "The Jews took their origin from Damascus, 
the most illustrious city of Syria, which received its 
name from its king, Damascus. After him reigned 
Azelus, then Azores, Abraham and Israhel." There 
is no Scripture foundation for this, more than the 
mere mention of the fact that one of Abraham's 
chief servants was Eliezer of Damascus. It is very 
probable that the patriarch entered the land of 
promise by this route, as it lay in one of the great 
tracks to Egypt and would be abundantly supplied 
by the way with both food and water. Abraham's 
stay at Damascus must have been quite short for he 
seems to have reached Egypt not more than a year 
after he left Haran. Then we are told also that 
Abraham pursued the eastern kings as far as to 
Hobah, which lay on the left hand of Damascus." 

The fortunes of the city have been varied. It was 
once taken by David, and subdued by Tiglath-pileser. 
Jeremiah denounced the place : "And I will kindle 
a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall con- 
sume the palaces of Benhadad." Over 300 B. C, 



334 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the city surrendered to Alexander. It was taken by 
the Arabs in A. D. 635. In 1126 the Crusaders match- 
ed their strength with the city. It was sacked by 
the Tartars in 1300, and in 1399 Timour swept down 
upon it, and exacted from it a million pieces of gold. 
So it has been sacked and destroyed a number of 
times, and yet it rose again to independence and 
power. Its present population is estimated at from 
100,000 to 120,000. 

I must confess I was charmed with the external 
appearance of the city, much more so than with any 
of the oriental cities I visited. But if it were not for 
the abundance of water, trees and shrubbery, it would 
be a wretchedly hot place, and yet one finds after all 
that the external beauty only hides a filthy interior. 
Much as has been said in praise of its beauty of situ- 
ation, it would not at all compare with our American 
cities and their surroundings. After you have made 
the journey to the place you can see how when the 
caravans from Bagdad or Mecca, which have been 
for weeks on the dry and barren plains come in sight 
of this green spot they should exaggerate its beauty, 
and look upon it as a paradise. The epithets they 
have given it are something like the following, "fra- 
grant as paradise," "plumage of the peacock," "the 
luster on the neck of doves," and many others. The 
day of our arrival at Damascus was unusually hot. 
The Syrian sun seemed to point his arrows at our 
heads. But here we are in the city. We pass 
through narrow streets lined with gardens. Over the 
walls hang orange trees, and the walnut and fig at 
some places unite to make a shady canopy over the 
street. The walls of the gardens are not of stone, 
but are made of mud molded into huge blocks, then 



DISAPPOINTMENT. 



335 



placed one upon the other where they quickly dry. 
In fact almost the entire city is built of mud. This 
fact was a great astonishment to me especially when 
stone is so abundant in the neighboring mountains. 

After passing along the river Barada for some 
distance we crossed the stream and came to our 
hotel. We found it an excellent inn, having a pleas- 
ant court with a fountain in the center, and the 
rooms opening into this space from all sides. 
The building is but two stories, very modest, and yet 
we found it a most pleasant place so far as food and 
rest were concerned. 

After a night's rest we started out to see the sights 
of Damascus. One does not go far until disappoint- 
ment begins. What promised so much when you 
looked at the city from without fails to come up to 
your expectations. The streets are narrow, the 
houses low and in bad condition. Built of mud as 
they are they cannot help but be damaged by the 
winter rains, and many of them are not repaired. 
While you are disappointed you are also pleased. 
You are in the midst of sights and sounds which 
remind you of the Arabian Nights' legends. Along 
the river there are many open air cafes where the 
idlers lounge away the hours, smoking, talking, and 
drinking such beverages as custom provides. 

There is perhaps no city on the globe where you 
see so many different nationalities as in Damascus. 
There is the coarse sensual Turk, in his gay jacket, 
his gold embroidered waist-coat, his rich shawl girdle, 
his full white breeches, and his high fez or cap. 
There you see also the swaggering Greek, the tall, 
haughty looking Bedouin ; the merchant from Aleppo; 
the Persian, with his high head-dress and silk gar- 



336 



UXDER EASTERN SKIES. 



ments. You see also the Nubian, the Greek priest, 
the Latin monk, the Jew and the Dervish, and some 
Europeans. 

The streets are poorly paved and very dirty, and it 
is sometimes difficult to get through them on account 
of the great mass of curiously clad men and women. 
Then there are almost an innumerable number of 
dogs, camels and donkeys. The rush and roar in the 
principal streets is bewildering. You see here as 
elsewhere the universal water-carrier, some with the 
goat skin bag, others with long necked green bottles 
and jingling brass cups. Donkeys with great bundles 
of lettuce on their backs are a frequent sight, others 
have paniers filled with some sort of a vegetable 
very much like a turnip. You also go through the 
ceremony of being shown the house of Ananias and 
that of Judas, as also the window in the wall 
through which Paul was let down in the basket and 
the gate by which he escaped. You see also the 
street called Straight. The many changes which have 
taken place in the cities make these sites somewhat 
doubtful. 

The bazars are really wonderful, and are filled 
with costly goods and curious wares from all parts of 
the Orient, but some of them are filthy looking 
places, and all are very small, mere holes in the 
sides of the houses. The trades seem to be separated 
here as well as in other eastern cities. There is one 
street the bazars of which have nothing but old 
clothes. There are shops where all kinds of mend- 
ing is done, where bowls, basins and trays are made 
and mended. The most disgusting bazars are those 
where meats and other eatables are sold. It is by no 
means conducive to the appetite to go through there, 



THE BAZARS. 



337 



and yet the picture would not be complete without 
them. The bazars of the gold and silversmiths are 
quite extensive, and much jewelry is manufactured 
here, some of it very fine and delicate. 

There has not been much change in the bazars. 
Over forty years ago they were described in the fol- 
lowing manner. "But there is more of the character 
of the east — the gay, gaudy, voluptuous, idle, yet 
irritable, east— to be seen in the bazars and streets of 
this strange city. Dark, almost to a fault, as a means 
of protection from the powerful rays of the sunlight, 
a long arched collection of passages or cloisters on 
either side of the open shopfronts of the merchants, 
succeeding each other with scarce an interval, and 
a badly paved path about two yards broad, and often 
less, extending down the center, — these are the 
skeleton features of the bazars of Damascus. But the 
spmbreness of shade, and the dullness of dirt and 
overhanging cobwebs, is overcome by the gay wares 
and lively colored dramatis person ce. There is a 
long row of silken goods a chief manufacture of 
Damascus, in bales of richest texture and brightest 
hue, arranged on shelves at the back of the little sort 
of open cabinet, on whose floor squats the seller, 
gravely smoking, calmly chatting, or studying with 
strange gestures the pages of the Koran. Over his 
head and around him suspended on strings, and dis- 
played by divers contrivances, are tempting shawls 
•of Persia and Cashmere, costly scarfs with gold and 
silver patterns, and made-up embroidered clothes for 
men and women. Another part of the bazar will 
present you with a colony of shoe-venders and shoe- 
makers — not as in Europe, a sable merchandise, but 
chiefly of gaudy scarlet and yellow, the prevailing 



338 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



colors of this garment at Damascus. It would take 
me a long time, and would be tedious too, were I to 
attempt a detail of all the sorts of wares that the 
merchants of El- Sham would tempt you with on 
their stalls, or in those little sacred nooks wherein all 
their best articles are deposited." 

One does not get tired looking at the strange 
scenes in these bazars. The arms for which Damas- 
cus was once so celebrated have given way to others. 
Here are bazars filled with oriental rugs, for which a 
great price is asked, and some of them are expensive 
at any price. Here also are shops where brass goods 
are displayed. Some are of peculiar workmanship, 
and show considerable skill in the carving. 

Fish describes the bazars in the following manner: 
"Each bazar, as is usual in the East, is appropriated 
to one trade. The silk bazar contains goods of violet, 
crimson, gold, silver and many colors. The food 
bazar has bits of meat stuck on a skewer, twisting 
round, roasting before a charcoal brazier, the rotary 
motion being stopped when a customer appears, for a 
slice to be deftly cut off. The Greek bazar is full of 
ancient armor, old Damascus blades, inlaid arms, and 
very unique curiosities. The saddle bazar has its 
masses of gold and silver embroidered leather trap- 
pings for horses, camels, and mules, decorated with 
velvet and pearls for the more wealtlry, and cowrie 
shells, carpet beading, and red or yellow woolen 
cords and tassels for the poorer classes. The cotton 
bazar is full of gaudy prints. The perfume bazar is 
redolent of attar of roses, sold in mites of bottles at 
high prices." 

The mosques of Damascus are numerous, but not 
by any means as fine as those of Cairo. In fact the 



THE GREAT MOSQUE. 



339 



only one worth seeing is the Great Mosque, and it 
does not compare in richness with what we saw in 
Egypt. It is very large, covering with its courts 
about three acres. It is said that originally a Chris- 
tian Church dedicated to John the Baptist stood here. 
But after the Moslems conquered Syria, the place 
was taken by them, the church partly destroyed, and 
the mosque which the Mohammedans consider the 
finest in the world reared in its stead. The mosque 
has three minarets, one of which is named the 
"Minaret of Jesus," and there is a legend among the 
Moslems that when Jesus comes to judge the world 
he will descend upon this minaret. 

In going to the mosque we passed down a dark 
street, and came upon the entrance before we knew 
it. The houses being built up against the structure. 
Here we were under the necessity of putting on slip- 
pers. We were not required to take off our shoes, 
but simply to put on the slippers over them. How 
this thin protection would prevent our feet from pol- 
luting the sacred place I could not understand, 
though the fanatical Moslems did. At the entrance 
of the mosque we found a doctor at work on a 
patient. It was a young man who had been troubled 
with rheumatism. The doctor had written upon his 
legs some passages from the Koran. The head of the 
young man was covered with a white cloth while the 
magician stood about two feet from him touching his 
head with a stick at the same time repeating passages 
from the Koran. We waited to see the young man 
leap up and walk off spry as as gazelle. But there 
was something wrong somewhere. ' The charm did 
not work, and the rheumatic pain still continued. 
An evil spirit got mixed up with the affair in some 



340 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



manner and prevented the cure. Deluded worker of 
cures, and deluded patient. 

We had secured an officer of the government to 
accompany us through the building, and it was well 
we did. For we had not gone far until there was 
quite an uproar among the fanatical Moslems on 
account of our presence in their sacred building. But 
the officer succeeded in restoring quiet and we went 
on our way. The Mohammedans of Damascus are 
perhaps the most fanatical in the entire land. You 
still see portions of the old church. The ceiling was 
originally decorated with fine mosaic work, but the 
Moslem conquerors covered it over with whitewash. 
A portion of the great gate of the old church also 
remains and over this gate there is an old Greek 
inscription which reads : "Thy kingdom, O Christ, 
is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion 
endureth from generation to generation." Strange 
that through all these centuries, here in this hotbed 
of fanaticism this silent inscription should so loudly 
preach Christ, and hold aloft his sacred name. 

We ascended one of the minarets to take a view of 
the city, and from which one gets a very good idea 
as to the size of Damascus. From this height the 
town looks ragged. The houses all of a uniform mud 
color. Far away to the north we see on the hills the 
white dome of a small mosque which it is said marks 
the spot from which Mohammed when yet a camel 
driver viewed the city and was so struck with its 
beauty that he refused to enter, saying, "There is but 
one paradise, and I will not have mine on earth." It 
is more than likely that the lying, crafty prophet had 
many enemies in the city, and made its beauty an 
excuse for not entering. From our perch on the 



MAGNIFICENCE OF THE MOSQUE. 



341 



minaret we also see what remains of the old castle. 
Far to the west we catch glimpses of snowy Hermon, 
and see also the course the river Barada takes by 
the verdure on its banks. 

We descended again into the mosque. Everything 
is on a grand scale. One of the great doors is so mas- 
sive that it requires five men to open it. The build- 
ing is in the shape of an ancient Christian Church. 
There are two rows of massive pillars, and certainly 
at one time the place was beautiful. It is said that 
TTelid, by whom it was erected spared neither labor 
nor money to beautify it, bringing from a great dis- 
tance columns of granite, marble, syenite and por- 
phyry. But the original splendor has faded, and will 
never be restored. Neither will the great crowd of 
pilgrims flock to it again as of old. It is said that 
there was not a moment by day or night when prayer 
or the reading of the Koran was not heard within its 
walls, and that many hundreds of Moslems were 
hired to attend constantly so that the place should 
never want for worshipers. The tomb of Saladin 
occupies a prominent place under the roof of this vast 
building. An old turban lying at the head is said to 
have been the one worn by the great conqueror. 

The country about Damascus is famed for its fruits, 
and there are few countries in the world which pro- 
duce such a variety and abundance of delicious fruits. 
Apples, plums, apricots, cherries, pears, pomegran- 
ates, olives, citrons almonds, walnuts, mulberries, 
and luscious grapes grow in wonderful abundance. 
To the north of the city on the hills is the great sum- 
mer resort for the wealthy, while the poor swelter in 
the heat, dust and filth of the city. 

Day by day you look for something respectable, 



342 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



but you fail in finding it. A large city, and yet not 
one fine looking building within its entire limit. It 
is said that there are several hundred palaces in the 
place, but the external appearance does not indicate 
a fine interior. And yet the interior of some of their 
houses is grand beyond all conception. The descrip- 
tions in the Arabian tales are not exaggerated. For 
here all the finery and luxury of the voluptuous east 
are displayed. One wealthy man who takes great 
pride in his house, throws it open for the inspection 
of visitors. The reception room is elegant. The 
floor is paved with marble, in the center a fountain 
sends up its splashing waters. Mirrors extend along 
the walls, and the wood work is inlaid with mother 
of pearl. The floor is covered with the finest oriental 
rugs, and divans, furnished with the richest silk 
cushions, run along the walls. 

The river which flows through the city is confined 
within walls of stone. The water is bright and spark- 
ling, and rushes swiftly. I do not wonder that in 
comparison with the dirty water of the Jordan the 
Syrian general should say : "Are not Abana and 
Pharpar better than all the waters of Israel." It 
seemed insolence to him to be requested to wash in 
the Jordan when here in his own country there was 
such bright and sparkling water. I saw a fisherman 
one day casting his net. He waded along in the 
water looking intently for the fish, and when his 
eye caught sight of one he cast his net which 
closed down over the fish and secured it. Walk- 
ing down the river a short distance I came upon a 
beautiful garden, inclosed in a mud wall. From an 
elevation I was enabled to look down into it. It was 
indeed a green spot in the midst of barrenness. 



FAREWELL TO DAMASCUS. 



343 



We went again and again to the bazars. The 
strange oriental life seemed to lay hold of us as it 
had done at no other place, and we would liked to 
have tarried much longer, but were admonished that 
we must journey towards the coast. In taking our 
departure from this old city I can perhaps do no 
better than give the language of another: " Fare- 
well, Damascus! mother of cities; pearl of the East; 
emerald of the desert, with thy gorgeous colorings 
and reeking dung-hills; — Dives at thy table, but 
Lazarus and the dogs at thy gate! We have wan- 
dered among thy gardens, the air laden with odors, 
the trees weighted with golden fruits. We have 
picked our steps amid offal in the streets, and saun- 
tered through the quaint bazars. We have walked 
over the marble mosaics of Damascene palaces, 
where fountains in every room lull to sleep with 
their gentle murmur and cool the heats of June, and 
then we have scrambled among the choking dust of 
ruined heaps, which mark where once was the 
Christian quarter, and which tell us that the Islam of 
to-day is as fanatical and as blood-thirsty as when it 
swept away the Eastern Empire, or when Tamerlane, 
el Wa7ieh, ' the wild beast,' made Damascus a heap of 
blood and ashes. Let politicians talk of improve- 
ment, or tell us the Turk will advance with the 
times. Islam advance! Yes, when 'the wolf shall 
dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down 
with the kid ; ' when ' the earth shall be full of the 
knowledge of the Lord ; ' when the demon of a sen- 
suous deism shall be exorcised, and the cresent 
shall be supplanted by the true cross." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



BAALBECK. 



LEAVING DAMASCUS. — SOME REFLECTIONS. — WILD SCEN- 
ERY. — NOONDAY REST. — TOMB OF ABEL. — BAAL- 
BECK. — TEMPLE OF THE SUN. — LARGE STONES. 
— VIEW OF RUINS BY MOONLIGHT. — RIDE 
THROUGH VALLEY. — CEDARS OF 
LEBANON. — BEYROUT, &C. 

^pHE Syrian sun was just coming up over the east- 



ern hills as we mounted our steeds to continue 



the pilgrimage. We had a peculiar sensation of 
pleasure as we started out, for we had reached the 
farthest point east, and were now turning our faces 
homeward. It is true we were yet a long way from 
home, and yet one can hardly express his delight, 
when after he has been on a wearisome journey, and 
long absent from friends, he bends his course toward 
his native land. The fact that I was going homeward 
buoyed up my dejected spirits, though there were yet 
many weary miles of land and sea between us. 

We passed along the Barada for some distance on 
the open plain, and then turned into the ravine down 
which it comes tumbling with the rush of a mountain 
torrent. Before going into the valley we wheeled 
about to have one more look at Damascus. Beauti- 
ful indeed from without, and from this distance one 
would not suppose it a city built of mud. It looks as 




LAST VIEW OF DAMASCUS. 



345 



though it might be a city of marble palaces sur- 
rounded by pleasant gardens. The domes and min- 
arets seemed more like the outlines of some fabled 
city which sprang into existence at the command of 
some enchanter. Well have all ages lavished praises 
upon her. And when she was the commercial center 
of the East, and caravans from Persia, and Egypt and 
Arabia poured in upon her their wealth of product, 
and when her streets were crowded with merchants 
from Bagdad, Mecca, Cairo, Smyrna and the far East, 
she must have been a delightful place, and we can 
pardon them for calling Damascus " the Pearl of the 
East." Across the plain we see a train of loaded 
camels moving leisurely toward the city. They may 
have come from some far country, and driver and 
beast will be glad for the rest and refreshment of the 
city. The hot sun has scorched them, and the wind 
from the desert has made them faint and thirsty, and 
they have found no water. Now they will rest in the 
shade of trees, and with the murmur of water in their 
ears they will go to sleep and dream of paradise. 
We turn again and go up the valley. 

What wild scenery. To the left the river goes 
-rushing by, and on its banks groves of tall growing 
trees, and alongside beautiful gardens. To the right 
are bold cliffs, and then again gentle slopes whereon 
are orchards of the fruits which find a home here. 
Now we go up, and far below is the river; no gently 
moving silvery line, running through verdant plains 
and fields of grain; no broad, full river having on its 
banks thriving villages, and pleasant hamlets, but a 
rushing mountain stream, whose waters beaten into 
foam dash headlong over their rocky bed, hissing as 
though it were a huge serpent writhing and strug- 

23 



346 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



gling to escape its narrow prison of rocks. Down 
there the river hurtles and roars with a deafening 
sound, but up here they do not disturb. In this wild 
region one could spend many days and drink at the 
fountain of nature. One is reminded of the poet's 
words : 

" To sit on rocks, to muse o'er flood and fell, 

To slowly trace the forest's shady scene, 
Where things that own not man's dominion dwell, 

And human foot hath ne'er or rarely been ; 
This is not solitude ; 'tis but to hold 
Converse with nature's God, and see her stores unrolled." 

And yet amid these beautiful scenes the most 
wretched and degraded beings dwell. It seems as 
though some of the most beautiful and favored spots 
contain the most miserable beings. Some one has 
expressed this idea in the following words : " Has 
the reader ever noticed the fact, that just in propor- 
tion to the bounty lavished upon man by the God of 
nature, the more degenerate does man become? 
Travel through every zone, examine man in every 
latitude, and that will be found a general law ; moral 
abominations multiply — man sinks and becomes 
imbruted, just in proportion to the richness of the 
productions and the fineness of the climate where he 
dwells. One illustration is enough. Where do we 
find the most debased and bloodthirsty of mankind — 
in one word, the cannibal? In regions where sum- 
mer is perpetual — where earth and sea and sky all 
combine to pour their profusion into the lap of man. 
And that general law operates powerfully amid the 
evergreen shades and the gleaming beauties of 
Damascus. In spite of intercouse with many lands, 
and the humanizing effects which should flow from it, 
the Damascenes long continued among the most 



SCENES BY THE WAY. 



347 



bigoted and hating of all men. It was once death to 
a Christian to appear unguarded in their streets ; and 
the city from which Paul had to escape, by being let 
down from the wall in a basket, has thus retained its 
bad pre-eminence as a place of persecution and 
violence." But this will all be changed some day. 

Occasionally we come upon a beautiful residence 
by the way, and then the miserable hut of poor 
shepherds. The road is excellent, for we are on the 
great diligence road from Damascus to Beyrout. 
We pass many large loaded wagons coming from the 
coast. At one of the way stations we turn from the 
highway into a path leading down among the hills. 
It is a pleasant way. Villages are numerous, and 
orchards in abundance. While almost every avail- 
able spot on the hillsides is covered with grapes. 
At noon we lunch by a strong fountain whose waters 
formed quite a large stream. There is an old house 
near by. At our approach the children run in and at 
once they are made ready to come out to see us. 
The ablution is performed in the yard. They are 
scrubbed and combed, and dressed in their best. 
One little fellow objected to the performance, espe- 
cially the combing of the hair, but he is finally 
subdued. His hair which had not been touched 
since the last party of tourists was here, which may 
have been six months, is smooth as can be, and his 
clothes are a marvel. They consisted of a little 
jacket which did not come down much below his 
arms, then his trousers were buttoned below an 
unusually large stomach, leaving quite a space 
uncovered. 

It was not long until we had a great many visitors. 
They came from every direction. A blind old lady 



348 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



was led out by a daughter. She was acquainted with 
our dragoman, and had sold him supplies before this 
affliction came upon her. He said she was a most 
excellent lady, and furnished him the best of every- 
thing for the travelers under his care. A great many 
women and girls came here with their large water 
jars to fill them at the springs. It is a noticeable 
fact that the water carrying is all done by the 
women. I saw many water carriers in the cities 
with the skin water bottle, or the large glass bottle, 
but I do not remember of seeing in a single instance 
a man with a water jar upon his head. In all proba- 
bility the water carriers in the cities have the water 
brought them by women. It seems to be their work. 
The reader will perhaps call to mind the fact that 
when the Savior directed the disciples to go over into 
the city to prepare a place where they might eat the 
passover, they were to see a man bearing a pitcher of 
water. Him they were to follow. This would be so 
unusual a sight that they could not mistake. It is 
undoubtedly considered a disgrace for a man to carry 
a water jar upon his head. At the above place our 
cook bought some fine young doves for our supper, as 
well as a fresh supply of eggs. I groaned inwardly 
as I saw the great quantity purchased and knew that 
I must help eat them for breakfast, lunch and supper 
for the rest of our journey. 

From this point we kept on winding in and out 
among the hills, passing quiet little villages sleeping 
in the sun, and rushing mountain torrents making 
cheerful music, amid these wild scenes. That night 
the tents are pitched at the base of an exceedingly 
high hill on the top of which is the reputed tomb of 
Abel. Think of having such company. It led us 



TOMB OF ABEL. 



349 



back to the springtime of the world's history. We 
thought of that first recorded quarrel in those far dis- 
tant ages, and how the mother's heart must have sor- 
rowed when she learned of the death of her beloved 
Abel, and that Cain had become a vagabond or tramp 
in the earth. Yet there was the tomb, we saw the 
white dome on the summit miles before we reached 
the place. It is thirty feet long, and near it are a 
number of Syrian oaks. But how did the booVy of 
Abel get there. A native told Dean Stanley the fol- 
lowing legend. "Habdid (Cain) and Habil (Abel) 
were the two sons of Adam. The whole world was 
divided between them; and this was the cause of 
their quarrel. Habil moved his boundary stones too 
far; Habdid threw them at him, and Habil fell. His 
brother in great grief, carried the body on his back 
for five hundred years, not knowing what to do with 
it. At last, on the top of this hill, he saw two birds 
fighting, — the one killed the other, washed him, and 
buried him in the ground. Habid did the like for his 
brother's body and planted his staff to mark the spot, 
and from this staff the seven trees grew up over the 
tomb which is still shown." The tomb of Seth is on 
the western slope of Anti-Lebanus, and is sixty feet 
in length. 

There is one peculiarity about the tombs through 
out the entire land, they are whitened in some man- 
ner and so made conspicious. Graves were looked 
upon by the Jews as unclean, and as communicating 
uncleanness to any one who touched them. So they 
were made white in order that they could easily be 
seen, and no one would touch them or come in con- 
tact with them unawares. This will help us to under- 
stand the language of the Savior: u Woe unto you 



350 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like 
unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beauti- . 
ful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, 
and of all uncleanness. Woe, unto you, scribes and 
Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs 
of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the 
righteous." And again when he says of them, "Ye 
are as graves which appear not, and the men that 
walk over them are not aware of them." It was a 
memorable night we spent here at the foot of this 
height, crowned with the tomb of Abel — memorable 
because of the terrible wind which swept down the 
valley, howling dismally, and pulling at the tents as 
though it would carry them away. More than once 
in the night I thought we would be carried bodily 
from the hillside, and all night long the Arab serv- 
ants were at work driving deeper the tent pins and 
staying the ropes. Whether it was the spirit of the 
vagabond Cain prowling about the mountain, singing 
a solemn requiem and guarding the tomb of his broth- 
er whom he had slain, I could not tell, but I was glad 
when morning came and we were once more on the 
way. By noon we arrived on the hills south-east of 
Baalbeck, and shortly were sitting around the lunch 
table at the inn of the village. 

There is nothing of interest in the village, and were 
it not for the extensive ruins near by it would be 
visited by very few. But what are these ruins? By 
whom were they built, and have they connection 
with any Scripture name or place ? Baalbeck means 
u the assembly or gathering of Baal," the sun-god. 
The Greek name was Heliopolis, "city of the sun." 
By whom the vast structure was erected is not known, 
and it is doubtful whether it can be identified with 



TEMPLE OF THE SUN. . 351 



any Scripture name. That the ruins are ancient can- 
not be doubted. They seem to be of various ages. 
There is first, an ancient substructure or outer wall, 
connected with which there are massive vaults run- 
ning three sides of a square, and supporting plat- 
forms on which the principal part of the temple rises; 
secondly there are the columns, architrave, cornice, 
and vast walls of the temple itself ; then there are 
several Saracenic additions. Six superb Corinthian 
columns, with their super-incumbent fragments of 
entablature, raise their heads above the surrounding 
desolation, and are seen for miles over the plain. 
Along the temple walls are rows of columns, some 
half displaced, others leaning for support, and some 
prostrate, all testifying to the former glory of the 
structure. 

One hardly gets an adequate idea of the vast 
extent of these ruins by a mere description of them. 
They must be seen. They are nearly 1000 feet in 
length and 400 feet in width, and their massiveness is 
simply wonderful. They cover about seven acres. 
It is with a feeling of awe that you enter the tunnel, 
600 feet in length, which introduces you into the large 
temple area. What wondrous stones these are. 
There are other tunnels and upon these foundations 
the temple was originally built. While it is a ver- 
itable ruin, yet what has not been carried away is 
in a good state of preservation. Though tumbled 
about as if some Titan had made a plaything of 
the vast structure, yet the portions mostly are whole. 
They are not broken into fragments as is the case in 
many other places. Portions of ceiling show the 
rich carving as fresh as if it had been the work of the 
last decade. 



352 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



The six columns which remain, including base and 
capital are seventy-five feet in height, while the 
diameter at the base is seven feet. On the top of 
these columns there still remains a portion of the 
entablature, fourteen feet high reaching from one 
capital to another. These columns formed a part of 
the great temple, and there were originally fifty-four 
of these. It can easily be imagined what a noble 
structure it must have been. 

Woodcock says of this temple: "And this was 
Heliopolis; the city and the sanctuary of the sun, 
whose ancient worship continued perhaps from the 
times shortly after Solomon, received here new hon- 
ors from the arts and splendor of Rome, who recog- 
nized in Baal's altar a shrine of her own Apollo, and 
covered it with her own magnificence. The dark 
vaulted passages, which support part of these grand 
remains are covered with arches of Roman construc- 
tion, for they bear medallions at intervals in the key 
of the roof, in one of which I recognized the Roman 
eagle. But the massive substructure of those vaults, 
the lower part of those outer walls, whose work were 
they ? If the bevelled edges of the large masonry do 
not tally with what we suspect to be Jewish works in 
Jerusalem and Hebron, those enormous blocks, whose 
magnitude, (there are two of sixty and one of sixty- 
three feet in length), causes the very infidel to wonder, 
and the Arab to ascribe them to the Prince of dark- 
ness, do not these seem worthy to be numbered 
among the works of mighty, splendid Solomon." 

The Temple of the Sun, distinct from the great 
temple stands to the south-east, and seems to stand 
on a platform of its own. It was once surrounded 
by magnificent pillars, but most of them are gone. 



GREAT STONES. 



353 



The gateway to this temple is perhaps the finest in 
the world. An earthquake injured it so that the cen- 
tral stone of the lintel sank about two feet. Geikie 
says of it : "The open area inside is no less elabor- 
ately ornamented than the magnificent entrance, 
twelve fluted Corinthian pillars adorning the sides, 
while the spaces between are set off with finely carv- 
ed niches, originally filled with statues. At the far 
end was once the Holy of Holies, which had been 
roofed over with great stones, two immense pillars 
supporting the heavy weight, as seen by their frag- 
ments still lying about. Three arches had reached 
across as a screen, and between the pillars had risen 
a stone dais, the base from which these arches sprang, 
four or five feet high, and carved with figures playing 
instruments. A statue twelve feet high, now in Con- 
stantinople, stood on this dais." 

One can hardly see how the huge stones in these 
walls could be transported from the quarry, and 
raised to their position, and so closely are they joined 
together that after all these ages you can scarcely 
get a knife blade between the joints. What 
machinery, if any was employed we know not. The 
supposition is that it was done entirely by human 
power, that is by the combined power of thousands 
of slaves. But this supposition still leaves us in 
darkness as to the machinery, or implements used. 
Not enough men could lay hold on one of these great 
stones to move it, or raise it an inch. The great stone 
in the quarry a quarter of a mile away is just as the 
workmen left it ages ago. It is nearly seventy feet 
in length, and thirteen feet thick. Why it was not 
moved we do not know. The one end is higher than 
the other so that the rock lies in an inclined position. 



354 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



It was never detached from the native rock below. 
Whether the workmen were ordered to leave it, or 
whether after moving the two others which are now 
in the wall the builders decided it was too much work, 
we do not know, but there the stone lies, as it has for 
ages, and will for ages to come unless broken up by 
man. 

Some three hundred yards from these ruins there 
are the ruins of a smaller temple, called the Circular 
Temple. It was probably dedicated to the worship 
of Venus. But to whomever dedicated, or by whom 
built, the great structures are in ruins, and the lan- 
guage of Isaiah can be applied to this place : "The 
cormorant and the bittern shall possess it ; the owl 
also and the raven shall dwell in it; and he shall 
stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the 
stones of emptiness. The wild beasts of the desert 
shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and 
the satyr shall cry to his fellows ; the screech owl 
also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of 
rest. There shall the great owl make her nest, and 
lay and hatch, and gather under her shadow; there 
shall the vulture also be gathered, every one with 
her mate." Ezekiel also describes such desolation 
when he says : "In all your dwelling places the 
cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall 
be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and 
made desolate, and your idols may be broken and 
cease, and your images may be cut down, and your 
works may be abolished." 

Standing upon an elevation back of the village and 
looking upon these ruins the mind is carried back 
through many ages, and the confused mass of ruins 
tells in language unmistakable of "the wrath of God 



RUINS BY MOONLIGHT. 



355 



revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and 
unrighteousness of men." The lines of Byron also 
come to the memory : 

"O say, who built thee up, thou queen ? 

Did Solomon the Great ? 
Did Sheba's lovely mistress lean 

On yonder parapet, 
And listen to the tinkling sound 

Of Judah's daughters dancing round ? 

But, ah ! thy walls, thy giant walls, 

Who laid them in the sand ? 
Belief turns pale, and fancy falls 

Before a work so grand ; 
And we.ll might heathen seers declare 

That fallen angels labored there. 

No, not in Egypt's ruined land, 

Nor 'mid the Grecian isles, 
Tower monuments so vast, so grand, 

As Baalbeck's earthly piles ! 
Baalbeck, thou city of the Sun, 

Why art thou silent, mighty one?" 

There are some who say these remains at Baalbeck 
might have been the ruins of that "Baalgad, in the 
valley of Lebanon, under Mount Hermon," spoken of 
by Joshua 11: 17. What too, is there to prevent one 
from thinking that these mighty foundations were 
once a part of that monarch's home of the forest of 
Lebanon. 

From the balcony of our hotel we had a fine view 
of the ruins by moonlight. Long did I linger under 
the enchanting powder of the moon. It is impossible 
to describe the effects of that luminary upon ruins. 
The broken columns, the shattered cornices, the huge 
pedestals, and great stones all seemed to speak to my 
soul by their very silence. My imagination led me 
back through centuries, and I saw the temple alive 
with worshipers, and all the ceremonies and rites of 
the gods performed there, the smoke of incense rising 



356 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



high above the maYble walls, while the entire plain 
resounded with the chant of the innumerable priests 
who officiated. I see long trains of darnel coming 
from the east, north and west, merchants from far 
lands, they stop here and present an offering to the 
gods. How strange that so near to Jerusalem there 
should be this great heathen temple. Down there 
sacrifices to God, here heathen orgies and worship 
of the gods. 

The cedars of Lebanon are well nigh extinct. In 
fact there seems to be but one patch on the entire 
range of Lebanon, in a sort of depression among the 
hills. The very large trees number not more than 
ten, while there are nearly four hundred smaller ones. 
The wood was used very extensively by the Jews as 
well as other nations in the construction of their pal- 
aces and other works, and it is really a wonder that 
there are any specimens left at all. By whom they 
were first attacked we do not know, but so far back 
as the days of David we find Hiram, King of Tyre, 
furnishing cedar for the temple, and palaces at Jeru- 
salem. They were hewn down, dragged to the sea 
coast and floated to Joppa, from where they were 
transported to the Holy City. Sennacherib seems to 
be noted as the great destroyer of these trees. It was 
his boast that he had done so. It may have been 
with this fact before him that the prophet uttered the 
words : "Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire 
may devour thy cedars. Howl, fir-tree, for the cedar 
is fallen." While Isaiah cries out : u See, the fir-tree 
rejoice at thee and the cedars of Lebanon, saying — 
since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against 
us." 

The next morning we started on our journey 



A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. 



357 



toward the coast. There is a very good road down 
through the valley, and some excellent farming land. 
A short distance beyond Baalbeck we come upon a 
small circular ruin. What it is no one pretends to 
say. The supposition is that the stones were stolen 
from the great ruins at Baalbeck, and yet I do not 
remember of seeing any granite columns there. 
Those of this little temple were of that material. 
Here and there we see peasants irrigating the wheat 
land. They utilize the mountain streams. These are 
turned over the land, and everything looks fresh. 
We see larger and finer cattle, and better houses. 
The vineyards are larger and everything speaks of 
thrift. On either side of the valley are the mountains, 
and we catch a glimpse of snow occasionally. The 
Arabs have a pretty saying about these mountains : 
"Lebanon has always winter on its head, spring on 
its shoulder, autumn in its lap, and summer at its 
feet." 

The beauty of this entire country is of such a 
nature that M. Van de Velde could say of it: U I 
have traveled in no part of the world where I have 
seen such a variety of glorious mountain scenes with- 
in so narrow a compass. Not the luxurious Java, not 
the richly wooded Borneo, not the majestic Sumatra 
or Celebes, not the paradise-like Ceylon, far less the 
grand but naked mountains of South Africa, or the 
low impenetrable woods of the West Indies, are to be 
compared to the south-western projecting mountains 
of Lebanon. In those lands all is green or all is bare. 
An Indian landscape has something monotonous in 
its super-abundance of woods and jungle that one 
wishes in vain to see it inter-mingled with rocky 
cliffs or with towns or villages. In the bare table- 



358 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



lands of the Cape Colony, the eye discovers nothing 
but rocky cliffs. It is not so, however, with the 
southern ranges of Lebanon. Here there are woods 
and mountains, streams and villages, bold rocks and 
green cultivated fields, land and sea views. Here, in 
one word, you [find all that the eye could desire to 
behold on this earth. The whole of northern Canaan 
lies at our feet. Is not this Sidon? Are not those 
Sarepta, and Tyre, and Kas-el- Abiad ? I also see the 
castle of Shukif, and the gorge of the Leontes, and 
the hills of Safek, and, in the distance, the basin of 
the Sea of Tiberias, with the hills of Bashan, far, far 
away, and all these hundreds of villages between the 
spot we are at and the sea coast." 

The road over which we traveled is quite good, but 
when we entered the diligence road running from 
Damascus, we found the highway most excellent. It is 
made and kept in repair by European capital. At 
noon we came to the village of Muallakah, where we 
lunched in a beautiful grove by the wayside. Near 
the village is the tomb of Noah in an old mosque. 
This tomb is quite large, being 120 feet in length. 
The tomb is much longer than that of Seth, the 
attendants say that his feet rest in a well. I was not 
able to learn why it was that they made their tombs 
so long. The tomb of Eve, at Jedda, is 200 paces 
long, and that of Joshua, on the Giant's Mountain, is 
thirty feet in length. 

That evening the tents were pitched on a hillside 
toward the east and overlooking a most beautiful 
plain. While here we had brought to our minds the 
old custom of casting the lot to find a guilty person. 
A little Syrian boy who accompanied the party, in 
the capacity of donkey driver, had five or six dollars 



CASTING THE LOT. 



359 



stolen from him. All the money he had, and in fact 
it was his entire season's wages. It was impossible 
to discover the thief. The camp servants all denied 
any knowledge of the money, which they would nat- 
urally do, for it is not often a thief will walk up and 
confess to a theft. At the camping place the drago- 
man called the servants together to cast the lot. The 
names of all the servants were written on little slips 
of paper, and these enclosed in a mud ball. These 
balls were put into a basin of water. One of the 
psalms was then read four or five times. If the 
guilty party was .present the mud ball would burst 
open and the paper containing the name of the thief 
would float on the water. It was not a success. 
Some one suggested to the dragoman that his name 
should have been included with the rest. But he 
thought different. 

This was the last night of our camp life in the Holy 
Land. Our journey was drawing to a close. After 
the stars had come out in the sky I went forth upon 
the hillside and looked in the direction of Baalbeck, 
and to the mountains on either side of the valley. 
What wondrous things occurred in- this region. 
Armies went thundering down over these plains, and 
Hiram had his workmen here hewing timber 
for the great temple at Jerusalem. Though no longer 
so rich as in the days of old, it still is a goodly land, 
and when the Lord will raise his hand to bless this 
desolate country, these mountains will again be made 
beautiful, and these plains rich in all products of this 
climate. 

The next morning we ascended the hills beyond 
which lie Beyrout and the sea. The road sometimes 
is on the edge of great precipices. On we go, urging 



360 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



our weary steeds to their utmost. One hill after 
another is ascended until we thought there surely 
could be no more, and yet there were. But finally 
the last one was ascended, and then in the distance 
lay the blue sea, and far below the hills we could see 
the houses of Bey rout. Never more glad is the 
mariner to see land after a long voyage, than were 
we to look upon the sea. To us it meant more than 
we could express. We were going homeward. The 
country on the western slope is beautiful, and fre- 
quently from some elevation you can count half a 
dozen or more villages embowered amid orchards and 
vineyards. Small streams hurry by you to the val- 
leys. To the south-east, Hermon with his white hood 
rose towards the sky, while to the north there were 
snow covered peaks rivalling those of the south. 

Early in the afternoon we found ourselves in a 
pleasant hotel on the sea shore. There is really not 
much of interest in this place. It is in many respects 
like a European city, though you come across many 
oriental characters and sights. The population is 
about 75,000. It is not mentioned in Scripture, and 
yet the town is quite ancient. It is said to have been 
founded by the Phoenicians, taken by the Romans, 
a number of times destroyed by earthquakes. It was 
also held by the Crusaders until their defeat in the 
battle of Hattin compelled them to yield it to the 
Moslems. Herod Agrippa adorned the place with 
baths and theatres and instituted gladiatorial com- 
bats, while Titus is said to have observed the birth- 
day of his father by compelling bands of Jewish 
prisoners to engage in mortal conflict. 

The town has grown beyond the limits of the old 
walls, and Geikie says : "It is no longer possible 



SID ON. 



361 



for the population to speak with their enemies in the 
gate, for the town walls and gates have disappeared, 
except a few useless fragments. Such a change 
marks the advance of civilization, for gates imply 
danger of attack; the want of them speaks of peace. 
It is curious to see how even the New Testament 
imagery of heaven is colored by their indispensable 
association with an ancient city, for the New Jerusa- 
lem has twelve gates, though as becomes the reign of 
celestial peace, they are not shut at all by day, which 
lasts unbroken, 'for there shall be no night there.' 
If Revelation were to be written now, the imagery 
would necessarily be different, for in civilized regions 
a city with gates is happily rare. Even so far back 
as Jacob's day, however, heaven could not be imagin- 
ed as entered except through a gate; but in these 
latter ages, thank God, we can think of it differently." 

Southward along the coast lies Sidon, one of the 
oldest, or perhaps the oldest city of Phoenicia. 
Homer speaks of it in the Odyssey : 

"The ship-renowned Phoenicians thither came, 

Knaves, bringing many trinkets in their ships. 

There was a woman of Phoenicia 

In my sire's house, fair, skilled in beauteous works ; 

Her the Phoenicians, crafty men, deceived ; 

One spoke to her of love, as near the ships 

She washed the vests ; a thing which captivates 

Weak women's minds, though prudent one may be. 

He asked her who she was, and whence she came ; 

She told him of her father's high-roofed house ; 

'From Sidon, rich in brass, I boast to be, 

Daughter of wealth— o'er flowing Arytas : 

The Taphians seized upon me, plunderers, 

As from the fields I came, and hither brought 

To this man's house, and he a fit price gave. ' " 

At Beyrout, I saw some most beautiful roses, the 
climate seems to be adapted for this class of flowers, 
and it is said some flowers are in bloom here almost 



362 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



the entire year. With the march of civilization 
Beyrout will become one of the finest cities of this 
land, and when once a railway has been built to the 
east, will become a large and important commercial 
center. We spend a quiet Sabbath here. The Pres- 
byterians have a college in the city and a flourishing 
mission. We had time to take a review of the jour- 
ney, as well as the look forward to our home-coming. 
It had been to us a most interesting journey and I 
could not help but repeat : 

"Land of fair Palestine, where Jesus trod, 
Thy ruins and thy relics tell of God. 
Thine everlasting hills with awe proclaim 
The holy records of Jehovah's name : 
Thy fallen cities crumbled into dust, 
Pronounce the judgment of Jehovah just." 

Our steamer is waiting in the roadstead and we 
must prepare to go. In leaving this hallowed country 
I will add to what I have written the language of our 
own loved Whittier: 

Blest land of Judea ! thrice hallowed of song, 
Where the holiest of memories pilgrim-like throng ; 
In the shade of thy palms, by the shores of thy sea. 
On the hills of thy beauty, my heart is with thee. 

With the eye of a spirit I look on that shore, 
Where pilgrim and prophet have lingered before ; 
With the glide of a spirit I traverse the sod 
Made bright by the steps of the angels of God. 

Blue sea of the hills i— in my spirit I hear 

Thy waters, Genesaret, chime on my ear ; 

Where the Lowly and Just with the people sat down, 

And thy spray on the dust of his sandals was thrown. 

Beyond are Bethulia's mountains of green, 
And the desolate hills of the wild Gadarene ; 
And I pause on the goat-crags of Tabor to see 
The gleam of thy waters, O dark Galilee ! 



PALESTINE. 



Hark, a sound in the valley ! where swollen and strong, 
Thy river, O Kishon, is sweeping along ; 
Where the Canaanite strove with Jehovah in vain, 
And thy torrent grew dark with the blood of the slain. 



Lo, Bethlehem's hill-site before rne is seen, 
With the mountains around, and the valleys between ; 
There rested the shepherds of Judah, and there 
The song of the angels rose sweet on the air. 

And Bethany's palm-trees in beauty still throw 
Their shadows at noon on the ruins below ; 
But where are the sisters who hasted to greet 
The lowly Redeemer, and sit at his feet? 

I tread where the twelve in their wayfaring trod ; 
I stand where they stood with the chosen of God,— 
Where his blessing was heard and his lessons were taught, 
Where the blind were restored and the healing was wrought. 

O, here with his flock the sad Wanderer came,— 

These hills he toiled over in grief are the same,— 

The founts where he drank by the wayside still flow, 

And the same airs are blowing which breathed on his brow ! 

And throned on her hills sits Jerusalem yet, 
But with dust on her forehead, and chains on her feet ; 
For the crown of her pride to the mocker hath gone, 
And the holy Shechinah is dark where it shone. 

But wherefore this dream of the earthly abode 
Of Humanity clothed in the brightness of God ? 
Were my spirit but turned from the outward and dim, 
It could gaze even now, on the presence of Him ! 

Not in clouds and in terrors, but gentle as when, 

In love and in meekness, He moved among men ; 

And the voice which breathed peace to the waves of the sea 

In the hush of my spirit would whisper to me ! 

And what if my feet may not tread where he stood, 
Nor my ears hear the dashing of Galilee's flood, 
Nor my eyes see the cross which He bowed him to bear, 
Nor my knees press Gethsemane's garden of prayer. 



364 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Yet, Loved of the Father, thy Spirit is near. 
To the meek, and the lowly, and penitent here ; 
And the voice of thy love is the same even now 
As at Bethany's tomh or on Olivet's brow. 



O, the outward hath gone !— but in glory and power, 
The spirit surviveth the things of an hour ; 
Unchanged, undecaying, its Pentecost flame 
On the heart's secret altar is burning the same ! 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



NORTHWARD. 



LEAVING BEYR0UT. — CYPRUS. — RHODES. — PATMOS. — CHIOS. 
— SMYRNA. 

\ S the sun was going down on the evening of 



April 30th, we entered a small boat and, with 



bag and baggage, were transported to the 
steamer which would sail in a short time. The vessel 
was crowded, as tourists had for many days been cen- 
tering at Beyrout to take this steamer. We were 
fortunate in having our berths secured in advance, 
and though we were packed together in pretty close 
quarters, yet under the circumstances were quite com- 
fortable. The whistle of the steamer sounds, and all 
who wish to return to shore must prepare to leave. 
Again the whistle sounds and the ship begins to 
move. One unfortunate man who tarried too long 
found some difficulty in getting back. Faster and 
faster the vessel began to move. Some friends in a 
row-boat made a strong elfort to get alongside. They 
pull hard and finally get near enough to catch a rope 
thrown to them. They are drawn to the vessel's side, 
the man slides down, and the boat is soon left behind. 
The Austrian Lloyd steamers, though not so large as 
the Atlantic steamers, are yet very comfortable. The 
fare is substantial. We had coffee and lunch between 
six and seven in the morning, breakfast at nine, 




366 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



lunch at one, dinner at six, and lunch again at eight 
in the evening, quite enough to satisfy any one. 

The morning after leaving Beyrout we sighted Cy- 
prus, and in a few hours were anchored in the road- 
stead almost a mile from the island. It was not long 
until there were swarms of boats on hand to take us 
to shore. The sea was quite rough and we were 
shaken up not a little in our transit from the steamer 
to the city of Larnaca. This was probably the Chit- 
tim of the Old Testament. Numbers 24 : 24. It is at 
present the largest town on the island, and is by no 
means a beautiful place. 

Cyprus is one of the largest islands in the Mediter- 
ranean, and in ancient times was an important coun- 
try. But through the varied misfortunes of war it 
lost its glory until it finally became an insignificant 
place. It is now under the protection of the English 
and may regain some of its ancient prosperity. There 
is not a good harbor on the island. Anciently Cyprus 
was covered with dense forests, but these have all dis- 
appeared, and the land has a barren appearance. It 
was here that many of the Egyptian Kings obtained 
the timber for their fleets. It was also celebrated for 
its mineral wealth, especially was copper abundant, 
and from this island the metal received its name, 
Cuprium. Silver was also abundant, as well as 
precious stones. The mines are either exhausted, or 
the people are too indolent to work them. From 
what we could learn the products of the island at the 
present time are oil, tobacco, cotton, silk, wine and 
wool. The early history of Cyprus is somewhat ob- 
scure, though it is believed that among its first inhab- 
itants were the Phoenicians. Of late years extensive 
excavations have been made in various parts of the 



DISTINGUISHED PASSENGERS. 



367 



island, and many interesting statues and other works 
of art which throw some light on the religion of its 
ancient inhabitants were found. The collection of 
these antiquities made by the American Consul, Gen- 
eral di Cesnola, has been removed to New York. 
Here in the church of St. George we were shown the 
tomb of Lazarus. How he got there we were not in- 
formed, but there was his tomb in a dark chamber 
under the church. We came to the conclusion that 
he was well buried, for we had seen his tomb at Beth- 
any. We spent a few hours very pleasantly on the 
island, then returned to the ship, weighed anchor 
and continued our journey northward. 

We had on board a number of distinguished per- 
sonages, among them were an English Count, one 
from Italy, a Prussian Cavalry officer, and two Rus- 
sian noblemen. With one of the latter I had frequent 
conversations concerning Russia, and the condition of 
the people. The poorer people were in a sad condi- 
tion, he said, on account of the unsettled state of the 
country. He spoke enthusiastically of Count Tolstoi, 
the great Russian writer who has become so popular 
in this country through the translations of his many 
works. The Count informed me that he was much 
loved by the poor and common classes because of his 
philanthropic ideas, and sympathy for the distressed. 

Early on the morning of May 3d we came in sight 
of the island of Rhodes, and anchored in the harbor of 
the city by that name. The ancient city was founded 
over 400 years before Christ, and was an important 
commercial center. The city was well built and 
strongly fortified, having two harbors. At the en- 
trance of one of these harbors stood the famous 
bronze statue, one of the wonders of the world, and 



368 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



called the Colossus of Rhodes. The height of this 
statue was one hundred and five feet. Twelve years 
were consumed in its construction, and it is said to 
have cost three hundred talents. It was erected to 
commemorate a great victory. The statue did not 
grace the entrance to the harbor very long, standing 
only some fifty years, being overthrown by an earth- 
quake some two-hundred years before Christ. Near- 
ly nine centuries afterward the statue was sold as old 
metal, broken to pieces, and carried away on nine 
hundred camels. 

The island was at one time fertile, and produced an 
abundance of oil, oranges, citrons, etc. The climate 
is delightful, and, were it not for the extortion to 
which the people are subjected, would again be a 
very paradise. After the death of Caesar whom they 
assisted in his war with Pompey, they were defeated 
by Cassius in a naval contest, and from that time be- 
gan to decline in importance. The present city has a 
most imposing appearance and rises from the harbor 
in the form of an amphitheatre. Earthquakes have 
several times made havoc with its walls and churches, 
and it is now in a neglected state. A number of 
trinket venders boarded the steamer at this point. 
They had for sale fancy boxes, inlaid with mother-of 
pearl, also fancy walking sticks. These were made 
by convicts imprisoned on the island. One of these 
days we will likely hear of the Rhodians rising up 
against convict labor. The view of the city, the har- 
bor, and the high hills behind the town is a most im- 
pressive one. 

We are now in the Grecian Archipelago, and pass 
island after island, sometimes so close to the rocky 
shores that we can see the caves in the sides into 



THE ISLES OF GREECE. 



369 



which the waves thunder making music now as they 
did when these islands were crowded with noble 
Greeks. As we sail in and out among these oases in 
the vast sea, the lines of Byron come to mind : 

" The Isles of Greece, the Isles of Greece ! 

Where burning Sappho loved and sung, 
Where lived the arts of war and peace, 

Where Delos rose and Phoebus sprung ! 
Eternal summer gilds them yet, 
But all, except their gun, is set. 

The Scian and Teian muse, 

The hero's heart, the lover's lute, 
Have found the fame your shores refuse ; 
, Their place of birth alone is mute 
To sounds that echo further west 
Than "your sire's ' Islands of the Blest.' 

The mountains look on Marathon, 

And Marathon looks on the sea : 
And musing there an hour alone, 

I dreamed that Greece might still be free ; 
For, standing on the Persian's grave, 
I could not deem myself a slave. 

A king sat on the rocky brow 

Which looks o'er sea-born Salamis ; 
And ships by thousands lay below, 

And men in nations,— all were his ! 
He counted them at break of day,— 
And when the sun set, where were they ? 

And where are they? And where art thou, 

My country ? On thy voiceless shore 
The heroic lay is tuneiess now, — 

The heroic bosom beats no more ! 
And must thy lyre, so long divine, 
Degenerate into hands like mine ? " 

One cannot help but feel sad as he looks upon these 
barren and desolate islands and remembers they w r ere 
once inhabited by a free, happy and highly cultured 
race of beings. Surely these islands must have been far 
more beautiful in the days of old when they were cov- 
ered with trees and shrubbery. Very little vegetation 
is seen, but barrenness is everywhere predominant. 



370 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Soon Patinos comes in sight. I can hardly express 
my feelings as I looked at the island to which St. 
John had been banished because of his faithful wit- 
nessing for the truth. It was here that Jesus came 
down to speak with his beloved disciple, and here 
were opened up to him those glorious visions of the 
heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. The island is bar- 
ren and rugged, and was well suited as a place to 
which to banish criminals. While Domitian thought 
to silence John, or destroy his influence, by sending 
him here, it was the means of giving to the world the 
Book of Revelation. 

The same evening we passed Samos, once so fam- 
ous. This island is over 80 miles in circumference, 
and was noted as the birthplace of Pythagoras, as 
well as for the industry, commerce and arts of the 
people. The climate was almost perfect, and the soil 
very fertile, the fig, grape, orange and the apple 
grew to perfection here. We passed Chios in the 
night. We were not informed that they would drop 
anchor here and so were not prepared for what oc- 
curred. It was shortly after midnight when the en- 
gine suddenly stopped and there came upon our ears 
a noise like the grating of the ship upon a rock. My 
first thought was that we had struck a sunken rock, 
and it did not take me long to dress. When we got 
on deck we learned that there was nothing wrong. 
The noise that we had heard was simply the grating 
of the anchor chain on ' the side of the ship. We 
laughed and went to our berths again and slept until 
morning. The town of Chios was destroyed by an 
earthquake in 1882, and it has not yet recovered from 
the shock. Many of the buildings are still in ruins. 
In a few hours more and we are in the harbor at 



SIGHTS IN SMYRNA. 



371 



Smyrna. I was surprised to see so many vessels in 
the harbor. There was a perfect forest of masts, and 
many steamships were continually coming and going. 
Smyrna is the most important city of Asia Minor and 
has retained its name down through the many cen- 
turies since it was founded. It is an important com- 
mercial center, and much activity is displayed. A 
street railway runs the entire length of the quay, and 
ferry boats are continually plying between the differ- 
ent villages on the coast. From the sea the city has 
a most imposing appearance, and I do not think I 
saw one city that presented so fine a view from the 
water as this. But when you wander through its 
streets you are disappointed. They are narrow, and 
many of them filthy, and the paving is so rough that 
you find great difficulty in walking. A railway, built 
by foreign capital, runs some distance into the inter- 
ior. The street scenes are in many respects similar 
to those of oriental cities, though here you may see 
many things which remind you of Europe. There are 
many drinking places and much drunkenness. 
Smyrna is noted for its rugs and figs, the latter said 
to be the finest in the world. Some remnants of the 
old wall are still seen. You are also shown the site 
of the Stadium in which it is supposed that Polycarp 
suffered martyrdom. Many other ruins such as the 
theater and temples are also visible. We climbed an 
immense hill back of the city to see the tomb of Poly- 
carp. It is in a small enclosure in which there are 
two tall cypress trees. An aged man acts as guard- 
ian, and takes as much pay as you are willing to give 
him. One of the Seven Churches of Asia, spoken of 
in the Apocalypse, was here. Not far from Smyrna, 
are the ruins of the ancient Ephesus, the scene of 



372 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



some of Paul's labors. It is # melancholy to look upon 
these ruins of past ages and think of the wondrous 
scenes that were enacted in them when all was life 
and activity. Now they are silent and desolate, yet 
their silence and desolation speaks to the soul in a 
voice that cannot be mistaken. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



FLIGHT NORTHWARD CONTINUED. 



GRECIAN ISLANDS. — EVENING MEDITATION. — IN A FOG. — 
AT PIMUS. — ATHENS. — THE ACROPOLIS. — 
MARS HILL. — OTHER RUINS. — COR- 
INTH. — CORFU. — AT BRINDISI. 

T^ROM Smyrna our course lay northward toward 



Greece, and on our way passed through historic 



scenes. What wonderful incidents have taken 
place in these waters. What terrible conflicts. 
What noble deeds of valor. Every island was pre- 
sided over by a god, and innumerable temples 
crowned all the hills. To-day the light-hearted, wor- 
shipers are gone, the temples in ruins, and the islands 
barren. The waters are the same, and make as sweet 
music on the shores now as when the mellifluous 
voiced Greek sang his paeans of victory or of joy. 
But the songs are not lost ; they are ringing through 
the world to-day, and I think the time is not far dis- 
tant when all this region will come under the health- 
ful influence of the religion of Christ. It is said in 
Greek legend that Orpheus, the son of Apollo, played 
upon his lyre with such a skillful hand that, at its 
sound the rivers ceased to flow, the beasts of the for- 
ests were subdued, and the very earth was entranced 
at the tones of his melodious strings. It was said 




374 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



also that when he descended into the regions below 
and played his enchanting music, the wheels of Ixion 
stopped, Tantalus forgot his thirst, and the Furies re- 
lented of their fierceness. Such was the poetry and 
fiction of the music of Orpheus. But what is this 
compared with the irresistible power of the gospel 
lyre whose sweet music shall one day be heard in all 
this region, for by the power of this gospel the lion 
becomes a lamb, instead of the thorn there will come 
up the myrtle tree, and the wilderness shall blossom 
as a fruitful garden. 

. It was at the close of a beautiful day that I took 
my accustomed seat on deck to watch the sun go 
down and meditate upon the goodness and glory of 
God as it is written upon the sky. It seemed to me I 
had never looked upon a more beautiful sunset. The 
few clouds in the western sky had arranged them- 
selves into the shape of a huge fan, and behind it was 
the sun sending his golden light between the ribs of 
the fan. Such gorgeous coloring no artist ever con- 
ceived of. The lighter portions of the clouds were 
suffused with light, while the darker were fringed 
with gold. Down, down went the sun, redder and 
more red grew the light until it seemed that on the 
distant sea God had poured the fire of the entire uni- 
verse. To see one such sunset is to have put to flight 
any doubts there may be in the mind as to the exist- 
ence of the Creator. Only the fool could look upon 
such a scene and say there is no God. 

I was sitting where I could see into the steerage de- 
partment, and it is seldom one is permitted to see so 
motley a crew, so many nationalities, and so varied 
in their religion. The Mohammedan spread his rug 
upon the floor and bowed his head in the direction of 



A SONG IN THE NIGHT. 



375 



Mecca, the devout Latin made the sign of the cross, 
the Jew sneered, the Persian, or fire worshiper, 
bowed most reverently as he watched his god, the 
sun, sink into the sea, while the humble Christian 
devoutly prayed the kind Father above to watch over 
all. How was it possible to keep the thoughts from 
home at such an hour. As the daylight faded, the 
stars began to march forth in the field above. Bright, 
glittering constellations writing out in letters of gold 
that God is love. If there is any hour of the day 
when the sojourner in a distant land thinks of home, 
it is when night has hushed every sound into still- 
ness. The night cuts off the natural vision, and so 
the spirit leaps beyond the dark confines to the land 
where his dear ones are. Why should this not be so ? 
The lonely pilgrim on life's journey whose friends 
have well nigh all gone over to the heavenly fields, 
often breaks away from this environment of clay and 
in spirit is with the loved ones in their home of light. 
What, then, is there to prevent the pilgrim thinking 
of home ? There were others on that same boat who 
were thinking of home beside myself, for in the midst 
of my meditation there came upon my ear the mel- 
ody of some sweet song. It was sung in a strange 
tongue, and yet in whatever tongue a heart song is 
sung the heart can interpret it. I am confident the 
hearts of the singers were elsewhere than on that 
boat. I sat there long into the night watching the 
stars and now and then taking a look over the side of 
the ship to see the strange phosphorescent light in the 
wake of the boat. 

Towards morning the fog-horn was sounding, and 
when we came on deck found we were in so dense a 
fog that we could not see more than half a ship's 



376 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



length either way. We could not go at half speed 
even. There are so many rocks and little islands in 
this region as to make it most dangerous sailing. By 
ten o'clock the mist lifted a little and we were going 
again at good speed, when all at once the watch cried 
out, danger, the bell rang, and the machinery stop- 
ped just in time to save us being dashed against a 
rock which rose almost perpendicular before us to a 
height of several hundred feet. We were not more 
than twenty feet from it, and the dash of the waves 
against it sounded ominously in our ears. We moved 
back as quickly as possible, took another course, and 
by twelve o'clock the fog had entirely disappeared, 
and by two o'clock we were in the harbor of Piraeus. 
It was not long until we were surrounded by a multi- 
tude of boatmen, and such a scrambling, howling, 
pushing mob we had not encountered since we left 
Egypt. After considerable delay we were landed, 
passed the custom-house, by simply walking through 
it, took the cars and were off for Athens, and in an 
hour more were safely lodged in the finest hotel in 
the city. 

Why the city was built so far from the seacoast it 
is difficult to say, unless it was on account of greater 
security. I was very much disappointed in Athens, 
as well as in the condition of the country in general. 
I found Athens a more beautiful city than I expect- 
ed, and the country in a better state of cultivation 
than I anticipated. There are many fine buildings in 
in the city, such as would do credit to any European 
town, and in the newer portions the streets are wide, 
well paved, and really beautiful. As you wander 
through the streets and about the ruins, the language 
of Milton comes to mind : 



THE KING'S PALACE. 



377 



"Athens, the eye of Greece ! Mother of arts 

And eloquence ! Native to famous wits ! 

See there the olive groves of Academe, 

Plato's retirement, -where the Attic bird 

Trills her thick warbled notes the summer long ; 

There— flowery hill— Hymettus, with the sound 

Of bees' industrious murmur, invites 

To studious musing ; there Ilissus rolls 

His whispering stream. Within the walls their view 

The schools of ancient sages— his who bred 

Great Alexander to subdue the world, 

Lyceum then, and painted Stoa next." 

The king's palace was opposite our hotel. It is 
quite a large structure but with little ornamentation. 
It. is severely plain, while the grounds in front of it 
are neglected and bare. There is nothing about it to 
indicate that it is the dwelling place of the king. 
Had I not been told it was the palace I would have 
judged it to be an asylum, a hospital or a museum. 
It may in fact be all three of these combined. Early 
the next morning we started out to see what there is 
left of the once glorious city of the ancient Greeks. 
The first object of interest was the Arch of Hadrian 
which was in a good state of preservation. The arch 
probably marks the boundary between the old town 
and the new addition built by Hadrian. A short dis- 
tance from the Arch you see what remains of the 
great temple of Zeus Olympius, fifteen massive Cor- 
inthian columns. It is said that there were 120 of 
these pillars, and that the structure was nearly 400 
feet in length. As you stand here and look upon 
what remains of this once glorious temple, you recall 
the lines of the poet : 

"Here let me sit upon this mossy stone,— 
The marble column's yet unshaken base. 
Here, son of Saturn! was thy fav' rite throne, 
Mightiest of many such ! Hence let me trace 
The latent grandeur of thy dwelling-place." 



378 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



Excavations are being made in the vicinity of the 
standing pillars, and within the last year there have 
been uncovered some very interesting antiquities. 
These excavations have also laid bare numerous pipes 
or conduits, supposed to have been used in convey- 
ing either hot water or warm air to the temple. Can 
it be possible that the worshipers in that ancient 
temple sat around a "hole" in the floor and warmed 
their classic feet, much the same as we do now? 
These pipes would indicate something of the kind. 
A short distance from the temple and just beyond 
the Ilissus you see the semi-circular outlines of the 
old Stadium where the Grecian games were exhibited. 
But the glory of ancient Athens was the Parthenon, 
and it is to-day the most magnificent ruin in all 
Greece. Its situation on the summit of the Acropo- 
lis made it conspicuous, and built entirely of the 
beautiful Pentelic marble, it was the marvel of the 
age. The very ruins are tremendous. It is impossi- 
ble to give an accurate description of these vast 
ruins, they must be seen, and as one stands upon 
that great elevation and looks down to the sea, and 
up to the mountains, all the wondrous stories of this 
little kingdom come into one's mind. Its deeds of 
valor, its strange legends, its history and poetry and 
men of renown all pass before you in review. 

Not far from the Acropolis was the theater of 
Dionysus, where you still see seats of marble, and 
take in at a glance the whole arrangement of this 
once large structure. Beyond this was the Temple 
of iEsculapius, the ruins of which are still visible. 
Westward of the Acropolis is the Areopagus, or what 
is known as Mars Hill. You go up quite a number 
of steps cut in the solid rock. As you stand there, in 



HISTORIC PLACES. 



379 



imagination you see the Apostle Paul speaking to 
the men of Athens with an earnestness that never 
was equaled by any of their great orators. Just a 
little beyond the Areopagus is the hill called the 
Pnyx, or the Place of Assemblies. Out out of the 
solid rock of this hill is a theater open to the sky, and 
large enough to seat at least six thousand citizens. 
Here was poured forth the eloquence of all Greece. 

From the Acropolis you see far away the lofty 
steep of iEgaleos, from which Xerxes watched the 
sea light which drove him back to Susa. 

There are many other ruins such as the Erechthe- 
um, the Porch of Hadrian, the Horologium, or 
Temple of the Winds, and the Temple of Theseus, 
but these can only be mentioned for we must hurry 
on. A day is spent in visiting Eleusis where recent 
excavations have brought to light the ruins of ancient 
temples connected with the Demeter-Worship, and 
where the Eleusian Mysteries were Celebrated. Here 
we also have a view of the Bay of Salamis, where 
the Persians were defeated B. C. 480. The next day 
we leave for Corinth, where we spend a few hours 
visiting what remains of the old city. This can easily 
be seen in- a short time for all that remains is a few 
columns. This was the scene of some of the Apostle 
Paul's labors, for he abode here for the space of a 
year and a half. I was much pleased with the phys- 
ical features of Greece. The country is well cul- 
tivated and seemed to me to be almost one continu- 
ous vineyard. We arrived at Patras sometime after 
dark and proceeded at once to our steamer which 
was waiting in the roadstead. It was a Greek steam- 
er, and by no means as cleanly as some we were on, 
but then we were glad to get into almost any kind of 



380 



UNDER EASTERN SKIES. 



a boat as we were on our way home. The next day 
we reach the island of Corfu where we land and 
spend a few hours in rambling about the old town. 
From the sea, Corfu looks quite formidable. The 
fortress looms upward toward the sky and seems 
impregnable, but it is falling to decay. The king of 
Greece has a summer palace here, surrounded with 
orange and lemon trees. The climate is lovely and 
one could spend several months here and not grow 
weary. Over against Corfu is the great coast of 
Albania, now under the control of the Turkish 
Empire. The Albanians never were altogether 
Greeks, nor yet altogether Turks. They were a brave 
people and dressed most gorgeously. Their principal 
manufacture was that of fire-arms. Even now on a 
market day in Corfu you will see the most splendid 
young men with the tight cap and shock of hair so 
beautiful in Masaccio's youths, standing in the pose 
of kings,, and criticising the arms offered for sale in 
the booths. Early the next morning we are at 
Brindisi. 



Here I leave the reader. We have .journeyed 
together over historic and sacred ground. We have 
looked upon the pyramids and gazed with wonder 
upon the silent Sphinx. We have wandered together 
through the lands made sacred by the feet of him 
who came to save. We have looked upon Galilee, 
and stood by Jacob's Well. We have been permit- 
ted to see the place of his birth, where he was reared, 
and the Holy City nigh to which he suffered upon 
the cross. We should pray that these lands may be 
regenerated, so that these eastern skies may look 



LAST WORDS. 



381 



down upon a people who rejoice in the Lord. And 
though we may never again see the Jerusalem below, 
may it be our blessed privilege to meet in the New 
Jerusalem in the skies. And while we wait let us 
sing : 

"0 mother dear, Jerusalem, 
When shall I come to thee ! 
When shall my sorrows have an end, 
Thy joys when shall I see. 

happy harbor of God's saints ! 
O sweet and pleasant soil ! 
In thee no sorrow can be found, 
Nor grief, nor care, nor toil. 



Thy walls are made of precious stone 
Thy bulwarks diamond square, 
Thy gates are all of orient pearl— 
O God ! if I were there ! " 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Abraham, Mosque of, at Hebron. .125 



Abana 342 

Abel, Tomb of 349 

Acropolis 378 

Ajalon, Valley of 115 

Alexandria 27 

Amron, Mosque of 50 

Ancona 18 

Antiquity of Egyptians 68 

Athens 376 

Ayoun Musa 81 

Banias 317 

Baalbeck 350 

Bazars at Cairo 37 

Bethlehem 134 

Bethlehem, Houses of 1:58 

Bethlehem, Workshops 138 

Bethesda, Pool of 213 

Bethel 22S 

Beyrout 360 

Boulak Museum 76 

Bridge of Sighs 15 

Brindisi 20 

Butter 258 

Cairo 34 

Cana . 275 

Cana, Water Pots at 275 

Capernaum, Site of 298 

Casting the Lot 358 

Castle at Banias 324 

Catacombs at Alexandria 30 

Cedars of Lebanon 356 

Cheops, Pyramid of « : 64 

Chickens 225 

Chios 370 

Church of Nativity .140 

Colossus of Rhodes 368 

Corinth 379 

Corfu 380 

Council of Ten 13 



PAGE 



Crete 22 

Crossing Red Sea, Israelites 84 

Cyprus 366 

Damascus 330 

Damascus, Site of Paul's Conver- 
sion 331 

Damascus, Bazars 336 

Damascus, The Great Mosque . . 339 
Damascus, House of Rich Man 342 

Dan, Site of 316 

David, Well of 143 

David, Tower of 183 

Desdemona, House of 9 

Dervishes, Dancing, Howling . .. 53 

Dionysus 378 

Divorce 42 

Dorcas, House of ... . 102 

Dothan 24S 

Druses — 322 

Embalming 75 

Ephesus 371 

Eschol, Valley of 129 

Esdra?lon, Plain of 252 

Fog on Mediterranean 376 

Forerunner 38 

Funeral Procession at Cairo 56 

Gadara 300 

Galilee, Sea of 283 

Galilee, Fishing 284 

Galilee, Different Opinions of ... .289 

Gardens of the Khedive 53 

Gethsemane 215 

Generosity Among Arabs 46 

Gideon, Fountain of 254 

Gondola 7 

Grand Canal 9 

Grave's 349 



INDEX. 



383 



PAGE 

Hadrian, Arch of 377 

Hebron 121 

Heliopolis, Obelisk at 73 

Hermon 323 

Hermon, Crossing the Mount . 326 
Hezekiah, Pool of 210 

Ibrahin Pacha, Anecdote About 39 

Jacob's Well 233 

Jaffa, Landing at 93-95 

Jenin . . 251 

Jericho, Modern ... . ... 174 

Jericho, Ancient 175 

Jericho, Dance at 175 

Jerome, Study of 142 

Jerusalem, 179 

Walls of 181 

" Gates 182 

" Via Dolorosa 185 

" Quarries of Solomon. 186 
" Street Scenes ... 188 
' Jewish Quarter ... 189 

Wailing Place 190 

" Church of Holy Sepul- 
chre 194 

Site of Calvary ... 199 

Holy Fire 200 

Population 222 

Jordan, 164 

" Source of 166 

" Bathing Place 169 

" Banks of 172 

Joseph's Well at Cairo . . 50 

Large Stone in Quarry at Baalbeck, 353 
Lazarus, Tomb of at Larnaca . . 367 

Lepers 113 

Loretto 19 

Lydda 109 

Lying 45 

Machpelah, Cave of . . . 123 

Magdala ... 294 

Mar Saba, Convent of 150 

Mars Hill 378 

Marriage Customs . 313 

Meditation on Shipboard 374 

Merom, Waters of 308 

Mirage on Desert -. . . 90 



PAGE 

Mosques of Cairo 40 

Mohammed Ali, Mosque of 48 

Moses, Burial Place 154 

Mount of Temptation 176 

Mount of Beatitudes 276 

Mount of Transfiguration 819 

Nablous . . . . 238 

Nazareth 262 

" Fountain of Virgin 267 
Workshop of Joseph and 

Jesus 268 

Bake Oven 270 

Hand Mill 272 

Nile 60 

Nilometer 61 

Nimrod, Tomb of 328 

Noah, Tomb of 358 

Oak, Abrahams 127 

Omar, Mosque of at Jerusalem 202 

Olive 110 

Olives, Moiint of = 217 

Olympius, Zeus, Temple 377 

Orange Groves at Jaffa 99 

Ostrich Farm 73 

Palace of Doges 12 

Parthenon .'378 

Patmos 370 

Pharpar 342 

Pillar of Salt 160 

Polycarp, Tomb of 371 

Pompey's Pillar 29 

Pyramids of Gizeh 63 

Rachel, Tomb of 116 

Ramleh ill 

Rhodes 367 

Roads .... 133 

Ruins at Baalbeck by Moonlight 355 

Sakkara, Pyramids of 71 

Samaria, Ruins of 246 

Samaritans 241 

Samaritan Pentateuch 245 

Samos 370 

Sea, Dead 157 

Seth, Tomb of 349 

Sharon, Plain of 105 



384 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Sharon, Rose of 106 

Shiloh 232 

Shunern 260 

Siloam, Pool of 211 

Simon the Tanner, House of 100 

Smyrna 371 

Solomon, Pools of 117 

" Gardens of 119 

Stables of 205 

Sphinx 69 

Sphinx, Temple of 71 

Storks 310 

St. Mark's Cathedral 11 

Sunset on Mediterranean 22 

Suez 79 



PAGE 

Tabor 261 

Tel-el Kebir 79 

Temple of Sun 352 

Tiberias 278 

Hot Baths 282 

Tomb of Kings 226 

University of Egypt 52 

Venice 7 

Wailing Day 30 

Water Wheel 99 

Water Famine 148 

Water Carriers 348 

Wedding, Arab 312 

Women, Degradation of 45 



